Problems, protests, and proposals.

Abstract

Various provider issues and problems associated with the American Psychological Association peer review system are discussed. Much of this material was derived from a review of letters and other documents from providers regarding the system.

The managed care movement and the future of psychotherapy.

“…Price control has virtually been in the hands of those who render the service. In the past, there has been no external system of checks and balances either to monitor abuses or to assure that care is appropriate, necessary, effective, and of high quality (Chestnut et al, 1987).…”

Psychotherapy in a staff model health maintenance organization: Providing and assuring quality care in the future.

“…Ideally, both patients and therapists carry a sense of social responsibility to use the HMO resources in a caring way (Adler, 1963; Spoerl, 1974), appreciating that there are other HMO members waiting for psychotherapeutic services. Utilization review is distinct from quality assurance (Chestnut et al, 1987), which assesses what care the patient received. The two procedures need to be kept separate to avoid conflicts of interest.…”