Perkins, Jordan C.
(2023)
Shortcomings in Behavioral Health Services: A Comparative Case Study for Western Pennsylvania.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Access to behavioral health is imperative as we move from the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, addressing this public health issue now prevents another potential disparity in the Medicaid population. This comparative case study examines projected Medicaid appointment availability and Medicaid population-to-provider ratios for behavioral health in Erie and Blair County Pennsylvania, using existing Medicaid appointment availability in Allegheny County from September 2022 to October 2022. To determine the projected appointment availability a range of 5.4% to 15.4% was used on Medicaid Community Care Behavioral Health providers accepting new patients in both counties. The CCBH directory was used to collect the provider pool for Erie and Blair County which resulted in 411 practices listed. CCBH has a goal of having a population- to-provider ratio of 2,000 to 1, however, results from this study show that Erie fails to meet this goal with current appointment projections. The results of this study are an indication of the projected provider availability from past appointment availability and have the potential to be better or worse than initially suggested. Recommendations to improve availability focus on behavioral health integration through colocation, group therapy, and a scheduling platform. The findings presented here can be used to better support behavioral health for Medicaid beneficiaries in Western Pennsylvania.
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Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Cole, Evan | evancole@pitt.edu | evancole | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Salter, Cynthia | cys6@pitt.edu | cys6 | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | McClure, Christine | clm244@pitt.edu | clm244 | UNSPECIFIED |
|
| Date: |
28 June 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Submission Date: |
20 June 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
35 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Health Policy & Management |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Medicaid, Behavioral Health, Mental Health, Access to Care |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Jun 2023 17:47 |
| Last Modified: |
28 Jun 2023 17:47 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45010 |
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