UMass Amherst researcher Sarah Goff, MD, received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine the effects of Medicaid accountable care organizations on the quality of behavioral and mental health for Massachusetts children.
Dr. Goff and other researchers will investigate how the launch of 17 Medicaid ACOs in Massachusetts in 2018 may have affected mental healthcare for children, according to a Dec. 27 UMass news release.
The researchers will analyze claims data and survey data collected by MassHealth and conduct interviews of parents, ACO leaders and mental health and primary care providers, according to the release.
Findings from the study can "inform providers, payers and policy makers responsible for the care of vulnerable populations of children with mental health disorders," the release said.