Innovative State Systems Supporting Coordinated Services for Individuals with Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders

Many individuals with serious mental health and substance use disorders have complex conditions that require a comprehensive array of health, behavioral health, and other supportive services. Coordinating this care is integral to ensuring these individuals receive the necessary services and supports. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other recent policy developments provide opportunities to improve services and coordination of care. As states and communities take advantage of the opportunities presented by the ACA, research is needed to understand how innovative care-coordination efforts are organized and financed to benefit individuals with behavioral health conditions.

For this project, Mathematica examined the features of innovative state systems that support coordinated services for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. We conducted case studies of states to examine how they finance, organize, and deliver coordinated care for this target population. The project included an environmental scan of states' care coordination efforts; interviews with state officials, managed care representatives, providers, and consumers during site visits; and synthesis of quality of care indicators.