Mental Health
Pediatric emergency room visits for mental health
Pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for mental health are costly and often preventable. Increasing access to primary care and behavioral health providers can help improve mental health and reduce unnecessary ED visits. This research examined associations between ED visits for pediatric mental health and rates of outpatient care. Using the All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), we found that, from 2016 to 2021, the overall number of pediatric ED visits decreased 14.0%, while ED visits for mental health increased 10.6%. The number of ED visits for suicidality more than doubled from 2016 to 2021 (301 vs. 929, p<0.001). Only 5% of children with an ED visit for suicidality had a primary care visit within seven days prior and 18% had a mental health visit. During the pandemic (2020-2021), fewer children with a mental health ED visit were seen in primary care the year prior compared to before the pandemic (2016-2019) (68.1% vs. 61.8%, p<0.0001). Children with ED visit for any reason, mental health, or suicidality came from communities with higher proportions of people with low income and low education.
We presented these findings at the Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) conference in Reston, VA in June 2024.
Pediatric mental health outcomes in low and high behavioral health resource areas
Grace Rauch joined us for our summer medical student research program in June 2024. She analyzed data regarding the number mental health diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes in the state of Virginia, comparing the data from “high density” and “low density” areas.
She found that there’s a great need for Behavioral Health Professionals, as well as Primary Care Providers in Virginia, more VMAP training for primary care providers is needed, particularly in low-resource areas, low behavioral health density areas may not be receiving the same level of care, and care coordination is not being utilized effectively.
In partnership with the Virginia Mental Health Access Program, we are using the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database to identify characteristics of mental health care in the Commonwealth and inform training to strengthen the ability of primary care providers (PCPs) to manage the behavioral health needs of their pediatric patients.
We recently completed an analysis of pediatric mental health-related emergency room visits from 2016-2021. Click on the brief to see visits by age, insurance type, locality, and diagnosis (depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc.).
