TY - JOUR
AU - K. L. Connor
AU - J. Breslau
AU - M. T. Finnerty
AU - E. Leckman-Westin
AU - R. Pritam
AU - H. Yu
A1 - 
AB - OBJECTIVE: To inform providers and policy-makers about the potential costs of providing physical health care in mental health clinics.     METHODS: Cost data were collected through interviews with 22 behavioral health clinics participating in New York State Office of Mental Health's health monitoring and health physicals programs. The interview data was combined with financial reporting data provided to the state to identify per interaction costs for two levels of physical health services: health monitoring and health monitoring plus health physicals.     RESULTS: This study gives detailed information on the costs of clinics' health integration programs, including per interaction costs related to direct service, charting and administration, and total care coordination. Average direct costs per client interaction were 3 times higher for health physicals than for health monitoring.     CONCLUSIONS: Costs of integrating physical care services are not trivial to mental health clinics, and may pose a barrier to widespread adoption. Provision of limited health monitoring services is less expensive for clinics, but generates proportionally large non-clinical costs than health physicals. The relative health impact of this more limited approach is an important area for future study. Also, shifting reimbursement to include health care coordination time may improve program sustainability.
BT - General hospital psychiatry
C5 - Financing & Sustainability
DO - 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.12.006
JF - General hospital psychiatry
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To inform providers and policy-makers about the potential costs of providing physical health care in mental health clinics.     METHODS: Cost data were collected through interviews with 22 behavioral health clinics participating in New York State Office of Mental Health's health monitoring and health physicals programs. The interview data was combined with financial reporting data provided to the state to identify per interaction costs for two levels of physical health services: health monitoring and health monitoring plus health physicals.     RESULTS: This study gives detailed information on the costs of clinics' health integration programs, including per interaction costs related to direct service, charting and administration, and total care coordination. Average direct costs per client interaction were 3 times higher for health physicals than for health monitoring.     CONCLUSIONS: Costs of integrating physical care services are not trivial to mental health clinics, and may pose a barrier to widespread adoption. Provision of limited health monitoring services is less expensive for clinics, but generates proportionally large non-clinical costs than health physicals. The relative health impact of this more limited approach is an important area for future study. Also, shifting reimbursement to include health care coordination time may improve program sustainability.
PY - 2018
SP - 41
EP - 45
EP - 
T1 - Integrating physical health: What were the costs to behavioral health care clinics?
T2 - General hospital psychiatry
TI - Integrating physical health: What were the costs to behavioral health care clinics?
U1 - Financing & Sustainability
U2 - 29316449
U3 - 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.12.006
VL - 51
Y1 - 2018
ER -