The relationship between treatment access and spending in a managed behavioral health organization

This study replicated an earlier study that showed a linear relationship between level of treatment access and behavioral health spending. The study reported here examined whether this relationship varies by important characteristics of behavioral health plans.

Access rates and total spending over a five- to seven-year period were computed for 30 behavioral health plans. Regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between access and spending and to examine whether it varied with the characteristics of benefit plans.

A linear relationship was found between level of treatment access and behavioral health spending. However, the relationship closely paralleled that found in the earlier study only for benefit plans with an employee assistance program linked to the managed behavioral health organization and for plans that do not allow the use of out-of-network providers.

The results of this study replicate those of the earlier study in showing a linear relationship between access and spending, but they suggest that the magnitude of this relationship may vary according to key plan characteristics.