Citation

Warren Lambert E, Brannan AM, Breda CS, Heflinger CA, Bickman L. Eval. Program Plann. 1998; 21(1): 47-57.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0149-7189(97)00044-X

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Evaluators and program administrators need simple multivariate descriptions of mental health service utilization. This study demonstrates the utility of cluster analytic patterns of care in a sample of 979 children receiving formal mental health services. Six patterns were identified: (a) brief outpatient; (b) extended outpatient; (c) hospital with outpatient; (d) non-residential more-than-outpatient; (e) extended residential; and (f) atypical heavy-service outliers. Children in high-cost clusters had above-average clinical severity. Children in a continuum of care used three patterns (b, d and e) more often, while those served through a traditional fee-for-service system used two clusters (a and c) more often. Service utilization clusters provide a useful and easily-understood vocabulary for summarizing children's quantity of use of various mental health services.