Consultation--liaison psychiatry. Possibilities for the 1990s

In order for consultation-liaison (C/L) psychiatry to enhance its acceptance and funding, carefully designed outcome studies that will demonstrate its clinical effectiveness to other disciplines in medicine, departments of psychiatry, hospital administration, third-party payors, and patients are required. The development of alternative methods of funding C/L services is described: (1) high-risk screening, renal transplant, geriatric units (Medicare); (2) salary stipends from collaborating disciplines, e.g., medicine, ENT, neoplastics; (3) consultation fees; (4) ambulatory C/L clinics (Medicaid); and (5) grants from collaborative research. With a change in structure when it can be employed (from consultation to the screen methodology), the development of scientifically derived outcome data of C/L psychiatry interventions, adequate documentation of the evaluation and treatment by C/L psychiatry, and the new tools biological psychiatry and psychopharmacology will provide, the 1990s could and should be an exciting time for this subspecialty of psychiatry.