141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

291759
Rural-urban differences in the patient-centered medical home for patients with severe mental illness

Monday, November 4, 2013

Mona Kilany, MSPH , Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Durham, NC
In rural areas, patients with severe mental illness (i.e. major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia) (SMI) have more difficulty accessing mental health services; therefore, the responsibility for addressing both physical and mental needs often falls to rural primary care providers. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has been proposed as a model for prevention, care coordination, and management of chronic disease. To date, the performance of the model in rural versus urban areas remains unknown. This analysis evaluated differences in utilization and quality of care between rural and urban PCMHs for adult Medicaid patients with SMI. Claims data from North Carolina Medicaid's Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) program were used. Propensity score weighting methods adjusted for Medicaid beneficiary self-selection into the PCMH. A difference-in-differences regression approach was estimated using generalized estimating equations to show how utilization and quality of care in rural PCMHs differ from urban PCMHs. Preliminary findings show, on average, that patients with SMI in urban PCMHs use more health and mental health services and are more adherent to their prescription medications than patients in rural PCMHs. Patients with SMI in both urban and rural PCMHs use less health and mental health services, but are more adherent to their prescription drugs than patients with SMI in traditional fee-for-service (non-PCMH). Understanding rural-urban what differences exist in terms of access and quality of care for patients with SMI in the PCMH model will help address the challenges of managing care for patients with SMI in rural primary care practices.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
Assess the impact of the medical home for patients with severe mental illness Compare the difference in utilization and quality between rural and urban medical homes for patients with severe mental illness

Keywords: Mental Health Services, Sever Mental Illness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management. My research interests are in improving coordination of care for individuals with comorbid mental and physical health disorders, and integration of mental health into primary care practices.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.