Title: Issues and approaches in evaluating managed mental health
Authors: Wells, Kenneth B.; Astrachan, Boris M.; Tischler, Gary L.
Citation: The Milbank Quarterly, Spring 1995 v73 n1 p57(19)
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Subjects: Psychiatric services_Management
Managed care plans (Medical care)_Evaluation
Health services administration_Evaluation
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Author's Abstract: COPYRIGHT Milbank Memorial Fund 1995
Data on the ways in which alternative forms of managed care affect the costs, quality, and outcomes of mental health are needed to inform health policy and clinical care decisions. Such evaluations, however, are difficult to implement for conceptual and practical reasons. The definition of managed mental health care is reviewed, alternative forms are described, and the activities and procedures that constitute managed care are identified. Examples from existing studies are used to describe the common roadblocks to implementing evaluations and to suggest methods for dealing with these barriers.
Full Text COPYRIGHT Milbank Memorial Fund 1995
Managed health care is rapidly becoming the backbone of health care delivery in the United States (Sederer and Clair 1989; Ellwood 1988). Yet little is known about its effects on access, quality, and outcomes (Tarlov et al. 1989; Dorwart 1990), partly because managed care is heterogeneous. Many different studies of alternative forms of managed care are required to understand its effects. in this article we address the topic of research on managed mental health care by reviewing its definition, the challenges it presents, and the basic principles to be followed when conducting this research.
The Institute of Medicine defines managed care as "a set of techniques used by or on behalf of purchasers of health care benefits t...