Dose–response effects for depression and Schizophrenia management on hospital utilization in Illinois Medicaid: a multivariate regression analysis

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 288
• Main Authors: Berg, Gregory D, Donnelly, Shawn, Warnick, Kathleen, Medina, Wendie, Miller, Mary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 03.07.2014; BioMed Central Ltd
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Aged; Analysis; Behavior; Chronic illnesses; Collaboration; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - therapy; Design; Disease Management; Drug abuse; Drug therapy; economics and financing systems; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital - utilization; expenditure; Female; Health Administration; Health care delivery; Health care expenditures; Health Informatics; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Hospitals; Humans; Illinois - epidemiology; Intervention; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Management science; Medicaid; Medicaid - statistics & numerical data; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Mind body relationship; Nurses; Nursing Research; Odds Ratio; Patient admissions; Patient Education as Topic; Population; Prevalence; Public Health; Regression analysis; Research Article; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - therapy; Statistics; United States; Utilization; United States; Illinois; Inpatient Admission; Schizophrenia; Emergency Department Visit; Assertive Community Treatment; Disease Management Program
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-14-288

Background The prevalence of schizophrenia and depression in the United States is far higher among Medicaid recipients than in the general population. Individuals suffering from mental illness, including schizophrenia and depression, also have higher rates of emergency department utilization, which is costly and may not generate the positive health outcomes desired. Disease management programs strive to help individuals suffering from chronic illnesses better manage their condition(s) and seek health care in the appropriate settings. The objective of this manuscript is to estimate a dose–response impact on hospital inpatient and emergency room utilizations for any reason by Medicaid recipients with depression or schizophrenia who received disease management contacts. Methods Multivariate regression analysis of panel data taken from administrative claims was conducted to test the hypothesis that increased contacts lower the likelihood of all-cause inpatient admissions and emergency room visits. Subjects included 6,274 members of Illinois’ non-institutionalized Medicaid-only aged, blind or disabled population diagnosed with depression or schizophrenia. The statistical measure is the odds ratio. The odds ratio association is between the monthly utilization indicators and the number of contacts (doses) a member had for each particular disease management intervention. Results Higher numbers of intervention contacts for Medicaid recipients diagnosed with depression or schizophrenia were associated with statistically significant reductions in all-cause inpatient admissions and emergency room utilizations. Conclusions There is a high correlation between depression and schizophrenia disease management contacts and lowered all-cause hospital inpatient and emergency room utilizations.