General and Behavioral Health Screening Under EPSDT for Adolescents in New York Medicaid Managed Care

How do behavioral health (BH) screening rates compare with general Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) screening rates for adolescents enrolled in New York Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs)?In this cross-sectional study of more than 1.5 million adolescents, BH screening rates under EPSDT were consistently lower than general screening rates, reaching only about one-third the rate of general EPSDT screening. General screening rates were relatively similar across plans over the study period, whereas BH screening rates varied widely and showed little alignment with state-assigned MCO quality ratings.In this cross-sectional study, BH screening for adolescents lagged behind general EPSDT screenings, with wide plan-level variation and poor alignment with state-assigned MCO quality ratings.

Corresponding Author: Rachel Rosales, MPH, Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 S Main St, Providence, RI 02903 (rachel_rosales@brown.edu).

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