Crisis Stabilization Units Function As Frontline Stabilization For Medicaid Beneficiaries With Serious Mental Illness & Addiction Disorder

Crisis stabilization units (CSUs) appear to function as frontline behavioral health crisis resources for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and other behavioral health conditions, according to an analysis of utilization patterns in four states during 2022 (Arizona, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Washington).

In total, across the four states, 144,193 beneficiaries ages 11 to 64 made a combined total of 347,920 visits to CSUs and emergency departments for behavioral health concerns. The proportion of acute behavioral health visits treated in CSUs compared to emergency departments ranged from 55.9% in Arizona to 13.2% in Oklahoma . . .