Utilization Review of Psychiatric Inpatient Care
ALEX RICHMAN M.D.1, and
HENRY PINSKER M.D.2
1 Associate Director for Utilization and Review Activities, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, 307 Second Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003 and Professor of Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, City University of New York
2 Chief of the Inpatient Service, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, 307 Second Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003 and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, City University of New York
The authors describe a utilization review procedure for inpatient care involving the statement of therapeutic goals, predictions about the time required to reach these goals, and the evaluation of care in terms of whether the goals have been met. The effectiveness of the procedure is suggested by the decrease in the number of patients with prolonged stays and the increase in the number of patients cared for. This has been accomplished with no decline in the quality of service.
