No Evidence Found That Managed Behavioral Health Organizations Shifted Costs

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Industry News Although many have hypothesized that managed behavioral health organizations (MBHOs) have financial incentives to shift treatment costs, no evidence of that activity was detected when one was studied. In fact, in tests to determine if the MBHO increased reliance on psychotropic medications without the use of specialty mental health treatment found that the presence of the MBHO as service provider did not result in significantly higher rates of psychotropic medication use. These are findings of a study entitled, “Cost Shifting Under Managed Behavioral Health Care,” by Samuel H . . .