title: Patterns of service use in two types of managed behavioral health care plans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study examined service use patterns by level of care in two managed care plans offered by a national managed behavioral health care organization (MBHO): an employee assistance program (EAP) combined with a standard behavioral health plan (integrated plan) and a standard behavioral health plan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional analysis used 2004 administrative data from the MBHO. Utilization of 11 specific service categories was compared. The weighted sample reflected exact matching on sociodemographic characteristics (unweighted N=710,014; weighted N=286,750).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A larger proportion of enrollees in the integrated plan than in the standard plan used outpatient mental health and substance abuse office visits (including EAP visits) (p<.01) and substance abuse intensive outpatient or day treatment (p<.05), and the proportion using residential substance abuse rehabilitation was lower (p<.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The integrated and standard products had distinct utilization patterns in this large MBHO. In particular, greater use of certain outpatient services was observed in the integrated plan.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. merrick@brandeis.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Merrick
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hodgkin
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hiatt
authors.forename: Constance M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Horgan
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Azzone
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: Galima
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zolotusky
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reif
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States