Researchers from City University of New York (CUNY) Detail New Studies and Findings in the Area of Mental Health Diseases and Conditions (The effect of Medicaid reimbursement for psychiatrists on the health care burden of serious mental illness): Mental Health Diseases and Conditions

2026 JUL 02 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Mental Health Diseases and Conditions. According to news originating from New York City, New York, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Health care resource utilization (HCRU) and cost among Medicaid patients with serious mental illness (SMI) were compared in states with high and low reimbursement for psychiatric services. Retrospective cohort study. Using 2021-2023 Kythera Labs Medicaid data, the 20 most frequently billed procedures by psychiatrists were identified.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the City University of New York (CUNY), “We selected states with the top 20% and bottom 20% mean reimbursement. The SMI population had 1 or more medical claims for SMI during the identification period and continuous enrollment for 1 year pre- and post diagnosis. The effect of reimbursement rates on health outcomes was estimated, controlling for patient-level and fixed-state characteristics. The high-reimbursement-rate cohort (n = 99,024) was 5% less likely to have psychiatric-specific inpatient and outpatient visits and 23% less likely to have psychiatric-specific emergency department (ED) visits than the low-reimbursement cohort (n = 154,437). The high-reimbursement cohort was less likely to have inpatient and ED visits and demonstrated 24% lower overall costs and 19% lower psychiatric-specific costs annually. Higher Medicaid reimbursement rates for psychiatric services were associated with reduced HCRU and costs.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Although this observed association may not imply causality, it could reflect beneficial behavioral changes (eg, improved provider participation and care continuity) or unintended mechanisms such as increased utilization review that may restrict access.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The effect of Medicaid reimbursement for psychiatrists on the health care burden of serious mental illness. The American Journal of Managed Care, 2026;32(6). The American Journal of Managed Care can be contacted at: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Onur Baser, Graduate School of Public Health, City University of New York (CUNY), 55 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027. Additional authors for this research include Heidi C. Waters, Nehir Yapar, Gabriela Samayoa, Xue Han, Deborah Freedman, Lauren Isenman and Rashmi Patel.

The publisher’s contact information for the The American Journal of Managed Care is: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

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