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Abstract

Objective:

Lack of access to mental health treatment remains a significant problem in the United States, even after implementation of mental health parity legislation. This study examined availability of psychiatrists listed in insurance carrier network provider databases in the Washington, D.C., area.

Methods:

Contact information was obtained for 1,184 psychiatrists listed in online directories for three of the largest insurance carriers serving the Washington, D.C., area. The “mystery shopper” method was used to assess the accuracy of listed contact information, new outpatient appointment availability, and average wait times for 50 psychiatrists randomly selected from each insurance directory.

Results:

Most (77%) physicians were successfully contacted, meaning that someone answered the phone or returned a voice mail message, and 51% of the psychiatrists had working telephone numbers verified to be correct. Fifteen percent of the psychiatrists were accepting new outpatients with the target insurance, with average wait times of 19 days; only 7% were able to schedule an appointment within two weeks.

Conclusions:

Inaccuracy of insurance provider directories significantly affected the ability of patients to obtain timely mental care.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services

Cover: Glowing Night, by Oscar Bluemner, 1924. Watercolor and pencil on paper. Bequest of Charles F. Ikle, 1963. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Image source: Art Resource, New York City.

Psychiatric Services
Pages: 962 - 965
PubMed: 28457210

History

Received: 4 October 2016
Revision received: 3 January 2017
Accepted: 10 February 2017
Published online: 1 May 2017
Published in print: September 01, 2017

Keywords

  1. Economics
  2. Insurance
  3. Patient needs
  4. Managed care
  5. psychiatry
  6. access

Authors

Details

Benzion Blech, M.D. [email protected]
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.
Joyce C. West, Ph.D., M.P.P.
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.
Zhuoyin Yang, B.A.
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.
Keila D. Barber, M.H.S.
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.
Philip Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.
Colleen Coyle, J.D.
Dr. Blech is with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. The other authors are with the American Psychiatric Association, Arlington, Virginia, where Dr. West and Ms. Barber are with the APA Foundation, Ms. Yang and Ms. Coyle are with the Office of General Counsel, and Dr. Wang is with the Division of Research.

Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Blech (e-mail: [email protected]).

Competing Interests

Dr. West has received research support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Forest Laboratories. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

American Psychiatric Association10.13039/100005386

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