For many mental health conditions, effective programs to restore health and social functioning require collaborative efforts that go far beyond the healthcare sector.  Individuals who are newly diagnosed with psychosis often require a carefully coordinated mix of specialty services including pharmacotherapy, behavioral counselling, educational services, vocational supports, and supportive housing options. Despite the existence of mental health parity laws, public and private health insurance plans often do not cover the full array of services required by patients, creating gaps and delays in care. This study will develop and test a decision support tool designed to help health plans and service providers estimate the total costs of care and implement integrated payment strategies for health and social services needed by patients newly diagnosed with psychosis. A research team led by Weill Cornell Medical College will collaborate with the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the New York Department of Health, and the New York Academy of Medicine to conduct the study. The resulting decision tool will be hosted on an online platform to inform financial planning and payment policies among health plans, Medicaid agencies, providers and service agencies nationally.

This work built on a previous S4A developmental award.

Principal Investigators:
Yuhua Bao​, PhD
Associate Professor, Cornell University Weill Medical College

Project Details:
Year: 2019
Funding Amount: $246,630
Status: Inactive