
Company Updates
Sep 26, 2023
Company Updates | September 12, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO, September 12, 2022 – Clarify Health, a leading cloud analytics and value-based payments platform company, today announced the publication of new research on pediatric mental health in a brief titled, “The Kids Are Not Alright: Pediatric Mental Health Care Utilization from 2016 – 2021.” The research was conducted by the Clarify Health Institute, which is led by Clarify’s Chief Analytics and Privacy Officer, Niall Brennan, and has a mission of delivering real-world insight into the quality and efficiency of US health care.
The Institute initiated this research following reporting by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that signaled concerning trends in the mental health of American children. The study leveraged an observational, national sample of insurance claims from more than 20 million children aged 1-19 years old annually and observed several important trends in the mental health care of America’s youth in the last six years. Notably, the utilization of acute care services for mental health conditions has increased dramatically, further spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The use of data and insights to shed light on pressing health care system issues is fundamental to our work at Clarify,” said Brennan. “This research shines a light on the toll that the pandemic and other stressors have taken on our children’s mental health over the last five years—and as a father, the health and wellbeing of America’s youth could not be more top of mind for me. Our hope is that this analysis helps spark a wider conversation around the need to improve access, utilization, and quality of pediatric behavioral health services.”
Some of the primary findings of this brief include:
Mental health services utilization for pediatric patients increased significantly between 2016 -2021
Mental health services utilization increased most rapidly among children aged 12-15
Insurance coverage creates disparities
“The Clarify Health Institute is driving greater transparency across the industry,” said Jean Drouin, MD, CEO and Co-Founder, Clarify Health. “The trends illuminated in this report reinforce health care leaders’ responsibility to address children’s mental health, especially when considering that half of all mental health conditions onset during adolescence and carry into adulthood. With a growing consensus that mental, behavioral, and physical health intersect, this research report aims to spark a conversation about the overall wellbeing of America’s next generation.”
To access the full report, visit https://clarifyhealth.com/institute/.