On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Bruce W. Sherman, MD, of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, about a recent study on wage-level disparities affecting the utilization of mental health resources, for which he was lead investigator; the study article appears in the April issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®.
Insured lower-wage employees had lower prevalence of mental health conditions but greater severity, with more hospital admissions and emergency department visits than high-wage employees.
Key Points - Patient outcomes studies suggest a clinical benefit of co-pay programs, and a negative impact of co-pay accumulator programs. Co-pay programs.