Related Experiment Videos
Evolutions in utilization and quality management. A crisis for psychiatric services?
1Professional Services, Preferred Health Care, Ltd., Wilton, CT 06897.
General Hospital Psychiatry
|July 1, 1989
Summary
Psychiatric services face funding cuts despite scientific advances. Managed mental health services show promise, but overall availability and quality of psychiatric care remain uncertain due to evolving payer strategies.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Health Services Research
- Health Economics
Background:
- Psychiatric services experienced 30 years of growth in science, services, and benefits.
- Payers are now retracting and restructuring funding for psychiatric services, deeming them unaffordable.
- Utilization and quality management initiatives have been implemented to reduce costs, with mixed consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the current crisis in psychiatric services.
- To evaluate the impact of payer retrenchment and cost-control initiatives on psychiatric care.
- To explore the future direction of competitive and regulatory influences on psychiatric service availability and quality.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of current trends in psychiatric service funding and delivery.
- Review of utilization and quality management initiatives.
- Assessment of the impact of managed mental health services and other cost-control measures.
Main Results:
- Payers are reducing funding for psychiatric services.
- Various cost-control initiatives have been implemented, some with negative effects.
- Managed mental health services are gaining favor with payers due to case management.
Conclusions:
- The future availability and quality of psychiatric services are uncertain.
- Payer-driven cost-control measures significantly impact psychiatric care.
- Managed mental health services represent a potentially favorable approach for payers.