J Psychother Pract Res 10:52, January 2001
© 2001 American Psychiatric Association
John C. Markowitz, M.D., Grand Rounds Editor
Psychotherapy and managed care have been assumed to be oil and water, as the title of the following presentation implies. Is there any place for psychotherapy, and particularly psychotherapy by psychiatrists, within a managed care reimbursement system? It would be helpful, and indeed it seems necessary, to have data: How much psychotherapy actually takes place under managed care, and how much is denied? How much psychotherapy are psychiatrists allowed to provide? Even more central a question: How are such treatment assignments decided?
Opinion, even informed opinion, cannot replace the need for such data. But in the absence of quantitative findings, it is important to keep the topic visible. The issue of psychotherapy by psychiatrists in managed care settings concerns the American Psychiatric Association Commission on Psychotherapy by Psychiatrists. Their forum, presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in May 2000 in Chicago, Illinois, provided an opportunity for members of the Commission to air their views and discuss them with an audience of colleagues.
