title: A managed behavioral health organization operated by an academic psychiatry department.
abstract: As a means of adapting to managed care, the psychiatry department at Wake Forest University developed a managed behavioral health organization (MBHO) to manage the care of enrollees in QualChoice, the health maintenance organization of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Before the academic MBHO was created, care was managed by a for-profit MBHO. In this case study, financial and utilization data were obtained from both MBHOs and from QualChoice. The data confirm that the academic MBHO was able to offer competitive rates for its services. It also was able to increase enrollees' use of the medical center's own providers and facilities by making more referrals than were made by the for-profit MBHO. Developing a managed behavioral health organization can allow academic psychiatry departments, either individually or as consortia, to preserve the patient base they require for teaching, research, and financial stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1087, USA. breifler@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reifler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosenquist
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uncapher
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colenda
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Teeter
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reboussin
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009657:North Carolina; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014600:Utilization Review