Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Dial, T. H. Articles by Pincus, H. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Dial, T. H. Articles by Pincus, H. A.

Psychiatrist and Nonphysician Mental Health Provider Staffing Levels in Health Maintenance Organizations

OBJECTIVE: This study attempts to determine the ratio of full-time-equivalent psychiatrists to members and that of nonphysician mental health professionals to psychiatrists in staff and group model health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and to compare the psychiatrist-to-member ratio with previous estimates of the required psychiatrist-to-population ratios in fee-for-service and managed care environments. METHOD: The Group Health Association of America (now the American Association of Health Plans) collected data on mental health staffing, enrollments, and other characteristics for 30 staff and group model HMOs. The authors evaluated the number of full-time-equivalent psychiatrists and nonphysician mental health professionals per 100,000 HMO members, and the ratio of full-time-equivalent nonphysician mental health professionals to psychiatrists. RESULTS: The overall mean number of full-time-equivalent psychiatrists and nonphysician mental health professionals per 100,000 members in the responding HMOs was 6.8 and 22.9, respectively. The overall mean ratio of nonphysician professionals to psychiatrists was 4.5. The overall number of psychiatrists per 100,000 members is less than half the requirement estimated by the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee in 1980, which assumed a fee-for-service environment, but it is about 40% to 80% greater than that estimated by other studies under the assumption of a managed care environment. CONCLUSIONS: Although a practice environment dominated by managed care may not require as high a psychiatrist-to-population ratio as a predominantly fee-for-service environment, it may well support a greater number of psychiatrists than previous studies have suggested.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. E. Simon, E. J. Ludman, and B. H. Operskalski Randomized Trial of a Telephone Care Management Program for Outpatients Starting Antidepressant Treatment Psychiatr Serv, October 1, 2006; 57(10): 1441 - 1445. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Simon, E. J. Ludman, M. S. Bauer, J. Unutzer, and B. Operskalski Long-term Effectiveness and Cost of a Systematic Care Program for Bipolar Disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry, May 1, 2006; 63(5): 500 - 508. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Simon, M. Von Korff, C. M. Rutter, and D. A. Peterson Treatment Process and Outcomes for Managed Care Patients Receiving New Antidepressant Prescriptions From Psychiatrists and Primary Care Physicians Arch Gen Psychiatry, April 1, 2001; 58(4): 395 - 401. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. G. Druss and R. A. Rosenheck Locus of Mental Health Treatment in an Integrated Service System Psychiatr Serv, July 1, 2000; 51(7): 890 - 892. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Simon and J. Unutzer Health Care Utilization and Costs Among Patients Treated for Bipolar Disorder in an Insured Population Psychiatr Serv, October 1, 1999; 50(10): 1303 - 1308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 1998 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us