Public Mental Health : A Changing System in an Era of Managed Care

As the costs of health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid skyrocketed, state and federal agencies attempted to curtail costs in public mental health care by introducing managed care -- a move that initiated tremendous changes throughout the system.

Public Mental Health: A Changing System in an Era of Managed Care educates psychiatrists on the ramifications of these changes.

It illuminates many of the potential problems that managed care poses for the seriously mentally ill, especially access to care, financing of medication, and the limited approval of long-term treatment.

This helpful guide also examines the transformation of psychiatrists' role in public mental health and describes how clinicians can preserve their role as patient advocate.

This book also highlights several areas, including services, benefits, medical standards, and the incorporation of performance standards, that require continued scrutiny to ensure that the system works for the benefit of the patients and the public as well as the bottom line. Packed with useful information, this book will help psychiatrists cope with the effects of managed care's penetration of public psychiatry and maintain their role as an advocate for their patients.