During the informational meetings, it was shared that HFS projects FY2008 utilization of the SASSAR program to be 45,000 – 50,000 individuals. How did HFS determine this projection?
HFS used historical claims data to determine (1) the rate of inpatient admission from an emergency room in general hospitals with psychiatric units over previous fiscal years and then projected out potential admissions for fiscal year 2008, and (2) the rate of emergency department presentation for psychiatric reasons (i.e., emergency room bills for individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis) who did not receive an inpatient admission. Using both the inpatient and emergency room numbers resulted in a possible 45,00-50,000 potential screenings that will need to occur for the HFS population. Using claims data on those individuals who were also seen in the DMH system, the projected increase in screenings (i.e., screenings not currently occurring within the DMH crisis system) is approximately 29,000 – 32,000 screenings for fiscal year 2008.