title: Utilization of prepaid services by patients with psychiatric diagnoses.
abstract: The authors document and discuss the utilization of psychiatric services in a rural group practice before and after the institution of a prepaid health plan. They found that the utilization of psychiatric services increased dramatically during the first year of the plan's operation. The increase in outpatient utilization continued throughout the 3 years studied, but inpatient utilization decreased after the first year and later reached a level lower than that seen before the plan was instituted. One possible reason for the decline in inpatient utilization is that increased outpatient care prevents hospitalization.
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007358:Insurance, Psychiatric; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012423:Rural Health; D014922:Wisconsin