Am J Psychiatry 1979; 136:201-204
Copyright © 1979 by American Psychiatric Association
The impact of political process on hospital psychiatry
GL Hogben, T Critelli and R Hoffman
Political forces motivated the New York State Department of Health to
withhold payment for Medicaid-financed inpatients on therapeutic passes.
The elimination of therapeutic passes had many negative effects on patient
care. The authors believe this experience demonstrates that political
factors can overwhelm standard clinical practice and reasoned health
planning to force irrational change on health care delivery.
