Strategic implications of healthcare reform for mental health providers

While most of the recent national attention on healthcare reform has focused on physicians, acute-care hospitals, and the insurance industry, what about mental healthcare providers? Where do psychiatric hospitals, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental healthcare professionals fit into the healthcare payment system of the future? For example, if the United States ends up with what is called universal access--a payment source for all Americans--will it include mental health benefits? The stakes are high; one quarter of the American population either has no health insurance or is covered by Medicaid. Many current reform proposals include tort reform; but how would it affect mental healthcare providers? Will managed care--primarily health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs)--be a part of the reshaping of the United States healthcare system? This article has three objectives: To summarize the various healthcare reform proposals and provide a description of the key elements anticipated in the most likely reform package. To consider the strategic implications of payment reform for the mental healthcare industry. To identify strategies for mental healthcare providers that are likely to be useful regardless of the shape of healthcare reform.