Mental illness, traumatic brain injury, and medicaid expenditures.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the rates of mental illness among Medicaid beneficiaries with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated Medicaid-paid expenditures.


METHODS
Retrospective claims-based calendar year data.


METHODS
Claims data.


METHODS
Medicaid recipients with diagnosed TBI and mental illness who received Medicaid services in 4 states in 1995.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Annual expenditures for total, inpatient, and noninpatient services, as derived from Medicaid personal summary files. Mental illness and TBI were identified by using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision , Clinical Modification codes recorded in Medicaid claims.


RESULTS
Of a total of 493,663 Medicaid recipients, 3641 (0.7%) were diagnosed with TBI in the 4 states. Significant demographic and racial differences were found in the rates of TBI; 18% of patients with TBI were diagnosed with serious mental illness. People with TBI in the age group 40 to 49 years were more likely to have a mental disorder. There were significant differences in estimated total, inpatient, and noninpatient expenditures between those with and without mental illness. In general, those with serious mental illness had higher Medicaid-paid expenditures than those without any mental illness.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric comorbidity in TBI increases the overall expenditures in this population. This increased cost is an important consideration in programming for those with TBI.
Wei
Wenhui
W
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. wwh@rci.rutgers.edu
Sambamoorthi
Usha
U
Crystal
Stephen
S
Findley
Patricia A
PA
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000191:economics*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D014481:United States