TY - JOUR KW - Advisory Committees/organization & administration KW - Child KW - Consensus KW - Health Education/organization & administration KW - Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration KW - Humans KW - Medicaid KW - Mental Health Services/organization & administration/standards KW - North Carolina KW - Patient Advocacy KW - Reimbursement Mechanisms/organization & administration KW - State Government AU - J. M. Foy AU - M. F. Earls AU - D. A. Horowitz A1 - AB - Poor reimbursement of pediatricians for behavioral and developmental services and the disarray of children's mental health services in the state led leaders of the North Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to organize an advocacy effort with the following objectives: 1) to articulate pediatricians' perspective on the current crisis in delivering and coordinating children's behavioral health services; 2) to represent the collective voice of both academic and community pediatricians in dialogue with mental health providers, Medicaid leaders, and the health and mental health segments of state government; 3) to build consensus about an achievable plan of action to address pediatricians' reimbursement and systems issues; 4) to develop a full and appropriate role for pediatricians as providers and, potentially, coordinators of behavioral health care; and 5) to facilitate implementation of Medicaid changes, as a first step in carrying out this plan. This article describes the 24-month process that achieved these objectives. BT - Pediatrics C5 - Financing & Sustainability; Healthcare Policy CP - 6 CY - United States IS - 6 JF - Pediatrics N2 - Poor reimbursement of pediatricians for behavioral and developmental services and the disarray of children's mental health services in the state led leaders of the North Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to organize an advocacy effort with the following objectives: 1) to articulate pediatricians' perspective on the current crisis in delivering and coordinating children's behavioral health services; 2) to represent the collective voice of both academic and community pediatricians in dialogue with mental health providers, Medicaid leaders, and the health and mental health segments of state government; 3) to build consensus about an achievable plan of action to address pediatricians' reimbursement and systems issues; 4) to develop a full and appropriate role for pediatricians as providers and, potentially, coordinators of behavioral health care; and 5) to facilitate implementation of Medicaid changes, as a first step in carrying out this plan. This article describes the 24-month process that achieved these objectives. PP - United States PY - 2002 SN - 1098-4275; 0031-4005 SP - 1232 EP - 1237 EP - T1 - Working to improve mental health services: the North Carolina advocacy effort T2 - Pediatrics TI - Working to improve mental health services: the North Carolina advocacy effort U1 - Financing & Sustainability; Healthcare Policy U2 - 12456924 VL - 110 VO - 1098-4275; 0031-4005 Y1 - 2002 ER -