State Variation in Out-of-Home Medicaid Mental Health Services for Children and Youth: An Examination of Residential Treatment and Inpatient Hospital Services

Using Medicaid data from 2003, this article describes the demographics and diagnoses of youth under 22 receiving mental health services in general and psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, and other residential treatment settings. The research found that treatment stays and costs in these facilities varied considerably from state to state, findings which may call for more research on state service systems and Medicaid policies.