Making the Business Case for Self-Directed Care

HSRI's Bevin Croft, Kristin Battis, and colleagues examined the business case for self-direction. And their findings were recently published in the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. They looked at data from 45 participants in a mental health self-direction program in Pennsylvania - comparing the amounts, types, and costs of mental health services used by people before and after they began participating in self-direction.  In the study data overall, self-direction was cost-neutral:

• There were no significant differences in service use for participants before and after their participation in the self-direction program; that is, the percentage of people who used at least one of these services in a month did not change significantly.
• There was a drop of $41.83 in average monthly cost for participants’ use of mental health clinical outpatient services due to lower use of these services.

Given the positive outcomes associated with self-direction—including enhanced quality of life, greater community engagement, improved functioning, and positive housing and employment outcomes—it’s heartening to see that it can be implemented in a cost-neutral manner. You can also view a 2-page summary of the findings on our website. 

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