Data from Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care claims from one Mid-Atlantic state were analyzed for this cross-sectional study. The dataset consists of a total of 16,969 youths under the age of 20 with a mental health diagnosis and a pharmacy claim for antipsychotic medication in 2003. Data for each individual includes demographic, Medicaid program category (ie, foster care, disabled), psychiatric diagnostic codes, and psychotropic medications by major therapeutic class.
This dataset represents a comparison of polypharmacy among youth with serious emotional and behavioral disorders enrolled in coordinated care services (CCS) versus those receiving traditional mental health services. Data were extracted from Medicaid administrative claims (demographic, diagnosis by ICD-9 code, procedure codes, and psychotropic medication), child welfare administrative records, and juvenile justice records. The final analytic sample included a total of 814 CCS youths and 993 in the traditional care cohort.