title: Privatizing public mental health and substance abuse services: issues, opportunities, and challenges.
abstract: Much like the medical care system, delivery systems for mental health and substance abuse services are being transformed rapidly by managed care. Public sector systems are now facing challenges to transfer service delivery responsibilities to private managed behavioral health care organizations as a way of containing treatment costs and realizing operational efficiencies. These privatization efforts entail a range of quality management issues that are specific to mental health and substance abuse problems, treatments, and clients.
authors.affiliation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chalk
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011332:Privatization / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D012941:Social Responsibility; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D017749:Total Quality Management; D014481:United States