Service Utilization, Expenditures, and Program Success (Dawn Project Evaluation Study Issue Brief No. 16)

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Indiana University. Center for Urban Policy and the Environment

Author(s): Jeffrey A. Anderson; Eric R. Wright; Harold E. Kooreman

Research Area: Population and demographics; Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: Indiana

Abstract:

A major challenge in the implementation of systems of care is creating mechanisms to pay for services that are provided across social services systems and by multiple agencies. Indeed, many have argued that the categorical funding structure in health and social services for youth and families is proving to be a major impediment to the integration of services. Because managed care often introduces pressures to reduce service expenditures and may negatively impact the quality and outcomes of care (Wholey & Burns 2000), we examined the relationship among patterns of service utilization, the expenditures of care, and the likelihood that youth and their families successfully met the clinical objectives that were established when they enrolled in the program.