Contact: Andrea Stewart
Email: astewart@dhhs.state.nh.us
This study was designed to identify the extent of depression among NH Medicaid members. Specifically this study sought to answer the following:
• What is the prevalence of depression among members of New Hampshire Medicaid? Does prevalence of depression vary by member characteristics or location?
• How do service use and expenditures compare for members with and without depression?
• What types of mental health treatments are members with depression receiving?
• What is the relationship of depression to other chronic medical and mental health conditions? How does depression affect expenditures in members with chronic conditions?
This study profiled NH Medicaid members’ health care experience during the period of January 1, 2005 – December 31, 2005 (CY2005) based on claims paid by fall 2006. Person-level summary files were created to include demographics, health conditions, costs, and utilization. Two methods were used to identify members with depression from claims data: diagnosis of depression and use of an antidepressant. The latter method may over-state the prevalence of depression since antidepressants are sometimes used to treat condi-tions other than depression. Lack of a complete claims profile for dually eligible members