Coordination of services for outpatients under concurrent medical and psychiatric care

The proportion of outpatients with concurrent medical and psychiatric problems is high and is expected to increase, but coordination of services has not been satisfactory. The medical and psychiatric records of 28 patients under regular psychiatric and medical care were abstracted, for a total of 323 visits, to ascertain issues related to assessment and coordination of care. Results indicate that psychiatric therapists and primary-care providers do not perform satisfactorily in assessing medical and psychiatric problems, respectively, and in initiating coordination of their patients' health care. The implications of these findings for the training, education, and supervision of staff are discussed.