Managed care and academic psychiatry

Abstract

Managed care, with its emphasis on cost effectiveness, case review, and treatment guidelines, has become a major influence on the delivery of mental health care and on the field of psychiatry. Given the importance of academic psychiatry in producing future psychiatrists and shaping their attitudes toward managed care, two separate surveys of chairs of 125 medical school departments of psychiatry were conducted. The surveys, completed in 1989-90 and 1991-92, indicate a trend toward accepting the usefulness and importance of managed care.

Mental health and managed care: Training for the 21st century.

“…This lack of preparation is found in other mental health disciplines as well; both graduate and medical schools do little to prepare future clinicians for effective work in a managed care setting (Nahmias, 1992; Tinsley, 1996). Psychiatric educators have voiced concerns about the passivity of academic psychiatry in changing educational programs (Moffic, Krieg, & Prosen, 1993) and some propose that at least part of residents’ training take place in a managed care setting (Borus, 1994; Lewis & Blotcky, 1993). However, as of 1992, only 38% of psychiatric training programs contained provisions for training with some aspect of managed care (Moffic, Krieg, & Prosen, 1993).…”

“…Psychiatric educators have voiced concerns about the passivity of academic psychiatry in changing educational programs (Moffic, Krieg, & Prosen, 1993) and some propose that at least part of residents’ training take place in a managed care setting (Borus, 1994; Lewis & Blotcky, 1993). However, as of 1992, only 38% of psychiatric training programs contained provisions for training with some aspect of managed care (Moffic, Krieg, & Prosen, 1993). We are unaware of any comparable statistic for psychology training programs.…”