Quality of Care for Medicaid Patients with Comorbid Mental Health and Chronic Physical Conditions

Though mental illness is common among adults and frequently co-occurs with chronic physical comorbidities, especially among low-resource populations such as Medicaid enrollees, major studies have highlighted that the U.S. health care system has significant shortcomings in delivering care for such populations. As more low-income individuals acquire coverage through Medicaid expansion, there is need to identify factors associated with high-quality care for this population, including more research on effectiveness of coordinated care to improve outcomes and reduce cost. As a result, this study addresses challenges in meeting mental health and medical needs of low-income populations by examining aspects of primary care practices that are associated with high quality care for Medicaid beneficiaries in New Jersey with behavioral health and chronic medical comorbidities.