Pay-For-Performance Initiative At 8 Connecticut Hospitals Shortens Medicaid-Covered Youth Psychiatric Inpatient Stays By 25%

Psychiatric stays for youth covered by Medicaid and treated at eight Connecticut hospitals were 25% shorter after the hospitals began participating in a pay-for-performance (P4P) initiative. The average length for psychiatric hospital stays dropped from 18.1 days at baseline to 13.6 days. The initiative had no significant impact on readmission rates.

In this P4P initiative, the focus was on reducing length of stay (LOS), maintaining already efficient LOS, and improving family engagement rates. Based on their accomplishment on these goals, the participating hospitals were awarded a share of a performance fund.

These findings were reported in . . .