Medicaid and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

The Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital has received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to evaluate the performance of Medicaid systems, health plans and providers in offering substance use disorder (SUD) care and to reduce racial/ethnic health disparities. We aim to study New York Medicaid data, including mandatory transition between Fee for Service (FFS) and Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) to understand how SUD treatment varies between FFS and MMC plans as well as between MMC plan types; to understand plan differences; disparities in the patterns of SUD care by race/ethnicity, gender and rurality; and to generate potential ways to address these issues. As part of qualitative work, we will identify key stakeholders from patients, policy makers, providers, and clinicians who can review our findings, help identify contributors to treatment outcomes, and generate recommendations for improving delivery of SUD treatment services.  

Objectives:

• Aim 1: Assess access, treatment patterns, and outcomes of SUD treatment to evaluate the performance of Medicaid systems, health plans, and provider groups in New York.
• Aim 2: Conduct stratified analysis by recipient race/ethnicity, gender, and rural/urban area to identify which programs and plans have better access, SUD treatment patterns, and outcomes for these subgroups.
• Aim 3: Create a dialogue with policymakers, clinicians, and patients to identify policy or practice aspects that influence access, patterns of SUD care and outcomes, or explanations of disparities in SUD care across different groups.

Funding Acknowledgement

This study is sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Grant R01DA044526