The Particulars: The National Committee for Quality Assurance has proposed a quality measure for follow-up after hospitalization for schizophrenia for the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set. Patterns and predictors of follow-up care among publicly and privately insured inpatients with schizophrenia have not been well defined in the literature.
Data Breakdown: Investigators analyzed claims from adults following hospital discharges for schizophrenia. Similar 30-day follow-up performance rates were seen for patients on Medicaid as compared with those who had private insurance (66.3% vs 66.9%). Use of outpatient mental health services during the 90 days before patients were admitted was associated with 30-day follow-up success. So too were claims for oral and long-acting antipsychotics, female gender, pre-admission claims with comorbid mood disorder, and absence of substance use disorder.
Take Home Pearl: Performance rates for 30-day follow-up care following a hospitalization for schizophrenia appear to be similar for patients on Medicaid as they are for those with private insurance.
