Key Personnel:
Marion Becker, Ph.D.
Rebecca Larsen, M.S.P.H.
The Impact of Baker Act Examination on Service Use and Cost of Care for Children in the Florida Foster Care System
Publication Date: 2/1/2004
Description:
Th is data brief uses the same population as was used in the 2003-2004 report to AHCA, Predictors Of Successful Permanency Planning and Length of Stay in Florida's Foster Care System. In this analysis the median cost of all Medicaid services (fee-for-service claims, excluding pharmacy) per child was examined, as well as the median units of service used per child. Also, for the children who experienced a BA examination, service use and cost of care were compared for the study time period prior to and after their BA examination. Th e median costs were compared using a Wilcoxon test for signifi cance because the data were not normally distributed. In addition, the penetration of mental health diagnoses for children with a BA exam was compared to the penetration rate for children without a BA exam. Table 1 contains the diagnosis group defi nitions used in the analyses.
