Medicaid enrollees in areas in the Southeast have the largest gaps between county-level OUD rates and estimated county-level capacity for treatment, as measured by county-level total treatment admissions among OTPs that accept Medicaid. Policy makers should consider strategies to increase the availability of OTPs with the capacity to serve Medicaid enrollees.
Health coverage of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rapidly expanding across the United States. Yet we know little about the time-lag between diagnosis and treatment onset. We integrated administrative, Medicaid claims, and Census data for children in an EIBI Medicaid waiver (n = 473) to examine the relationship between time-lag and (a) child race-ethnicity and (b) neighborhood racial composition, poverty, affluence, and urbanicity. We explored whether the relationship between child race-ethnicity and time-lag varies by neighborhood characteristics. Average time-lag between diagnosis and treatment onset was nearly 3 years. Child race-ethnicity and neighborhood characteristics did not predict time-lag. Reducing time-lag is critical to ensuring that children with ASD receive treatment as early as possible.
This study examined variation in geographic access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts for children with autism spectrum disorder. Between March and May 2019, we integrated public data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection, Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s certificant registry, and U.S. Census. The study sample included all U.S. counties and county equivalents in 48 states and D.C. ( N = 3108). Using geographic information systems software, we assigned Board Certified Behavior Analysts to counties based on their residence, allocated children via school districts to counties, and generated per capita autism spectrum disorder/Board Certified Behavior Analyst ratios. We calculated the Getis-Ord G* statistics for each county and each ratio and compared counties in high-ratio clusters with counties in low-ratio clusters by socioeconomic variables. More than half of all counties had no Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Counties in the highest accessibility category had ⩽17.1 children with autism spectrum disorder per Board Certified Behavior Analyst ( n = 770), while counties in the lowest accessibility category had ⩾137.1 children with autism spectrum disorder per Board Certified Behavior Analyst ( n = 12). In all, 55 of the 129 counties with the highest autism spectrum disorder prevalence had no Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Higher accessibility counties were wealthier and had smaller uninsured populations. To improve geographic access, we must identify factors driving unequal distribution that can inform provider recruitment and retention efforts in underserved areas. Lay abstract This study looked at whether access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts for children with autism spectrum disorder is different between U.S. counties. The study included all U.S. counties and county equivalents in 48 states and D.C. ( N = 3108). Between March and May 2019, we combined data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection, Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s certificant registry, and U.S. Census. We assigned Board Certified Behavior Analysts to counties based on their address, matched children in school districts to counties, and determined how many children with autism spectrum disorder there were in a county compared with how many Board Certified Behavior Analysts there were in a county. The results show uneven numbers of Board Certified Behavior Analysts between U.S. counties. More than half of all counties had no Board Certified Behavior Analysts. National maps illustrate clusters of high and low accessibility to Board Certified Behavior Analysts. To improve access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts in underserved areas, we must identify what contributes to the differences in access.
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