06 Jun Fewer Psychiatrists Willing To Accept Medicaid Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Wen
Hefei Wen, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Department of Health Management & Policy
University of Kentucky College of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Medicaid is the principal payer of behavioral health services in the U.S. and expected to play an increasing role in financing behavioral health services following Medicaid expansions under the ACA.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: We found that psychiatrists were less likely than other physicians to accept Medicaid patients throughout the study period of 2010~2015. Moreover, the likelihood of psychiatrists accepting Medicaid declined significantly from 48 percent during 2010~2011 to 35.4 percent during 2014~2015, equivalent to a 26 percent decline. This significant decline was considerably larger than the changes we observed in Medicaid acceptance among primary care physicians and non-psychiatry specialists. Furthermore, Medicaid expansion was not associated with a discernible change in Medicaid acceptance among psychiatrists.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: We found that psychiatrists were less likely than other physicians to accept Medicaid patients throughout the study period of 2010~2015. Moreover, the likelihood of psychiatrists accepting Medicaid declined significantly from 48 percent during 2010~2011 to 35.4 percent during 2014~2015, equivalent to a 26 percent decline. This significant decline was considerably larger than the changes we observed in Medicaid acceptance among primary care physicians and non-psychiatry specialists. Furthermore, Medicaid expansion was not associated with a discernible change in Medicaid acceptance among psychiatrists.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?
Response: Future research is needed to explore the reasons behind psychiatrists’ low participation in Medicaid and identify interventions, such as team-based care coordination approaches, to increase Medicaid capacity to care for patients with behavioral health care needs.
No disclosures
Citation:
[wysija_form id=”3″]
[last-modified]
The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.
Last Updated on June 6, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD