title: Problems in analyzing the comparative costs of private versus public psychiatric care.
abstract: The authors outline the difficulties in attempting to compare the costs of service in various mental health settings, especially private practice and community mental health centers. Contributing to the difficulties are the differences in the populations served, differences in treatment modalities employed, and the different economic incentives operating in each setting. The authors stress the need for research on cost effectiveness as the basis for valid comparisons of various care settings.
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005380:Financing, Government; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006801:Humans; D007358:Insurance, Psychiatric; D008605:Mental Health Services; D009313:National Health Programs; D011331:Private Practice; D014481:United States