Can quality survive continued downward price pressures? Panel discussion

The following is a transcript, edited for publication, of a remarkable presentation at the Behavioral Healthcare Quality and Accountability Summit in June 1997 held in Bloomington, Minnesota. The original session consisted of four talks, but since we were unable to obtain permission from one of the participants, J. Rock Johnson, J.D., only three of the speakers are presented below. Nonetheless, this article contains many insights into the fundamental question facing the mental health and substance abuse fields: Can Quality Survive the Pressures of Downward Pricing?