MENTAL-HEALTH-SERVICES UTILIZATION IN A CHILDRENS MENTAL-HEALTH MANAGED CARE DEMONSTRATION

Service delivery under two systems of care-a traditional Civilian Heal th and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) reimburseme nt system and an innovative continuum of care-was examined along six d imensions: access, type, mix, volume, timing, and continuity of servic es received by children and adolescents. It was found that the Demonst ration sewed over three times as many children as the Comparison. In a ddition to sewing more children, the Demonstration also provided more and different types of services to each child treated. Finally, the De monstration appears to have delivered services in a more timely fashio n and made a considerable effort to match children's and families' nee ds with services.