Medicare Accountable Care Organization Treatment of Serious Mental Illness: Associations Between Behavioral Health Integration Activities and Outcomes.

Objective: Characterize the association between Medicare Accountable Care Organizations' (ACOs) behavioral health integration capability and quality and utilization among adults with serious mental illness (SMI).

Background: Controlled research supports the efficacy of integrating physical and mental health care for adults with SMI, yet little is known about the organizations integrating care and associations between integration capability and quality.

Methods: We surveyed Medicare ACOs (2017-2018 National Survey of ACOs, response rate 69%) and linked responses to 2016-2017 fee-for-service Medicare claims for beneficiaries with SMI.

The Association of Readmission Reduction Activities with Primary Care Practice Readmission Rates.

Background: A great deal of research has focused on how hospitals influence readmission rates. While hospitals play a vital role in reducing readmissions, a significant portion of the work also falls to primary care practices. Despite this critical role of primary care, little empirical evidence has shown what primary care characteristics or activities are associated with reductions in hospital admissions.