Effectiveness of intensive outpatient programming in private practice: integrating practice, outcomes, and business

The development of a model for treating acutely depressed patients on a frequent basis in an independent practice setting is described. Strategies to collaborate with managed care organizations, employee assistance programs, and local provider networks to recruit these patients are outlined. The patients treated in the intensive outpatient program described in this article were primarily depressed, were more acutely distressed than national and local inpatient samples, were often in suicidal crises, and had multiple comorbidities. Nonetheless, they demonstrated significant pre- and posttest improvements on a variety of client- and clinician-rated measures. A dose-response curve further illustrated that significant improvement in depressive symptoms was predictable. Private practitioners can expand their services through the development, implementation, delivery, management, and evaluation of mental health services that respond to market dynamics.