Marketing Mental Health Services to Managed Care

Book excerpt: Managed care is rapidly making traditional marketing strategies for mental health services obsolete. Here is the definitive book that helps professionals understand contemporary market forces and how to reshape marketing strategies in an increasingly competitive environment.Marketing Mental Health Services to Managed Care begins by demystifying the seemingly bewildering world of managed care systems. It enables the reader to become a fully informed partner in providing services for managed care systems. In an era in which many professionals are affiliated with one or more managed care networks, this book guides clinicians toward greater control of their professional futures by providing the steps necessary to develop a successful managed care oriented practice strategy. It will be especially helpful to the newcomer to practice in the 1990s or the seasoned practitioner interested in increasing referrals from managed care systems.Readers of this highly practical new book learn how to analyze the market for clinical services, how to plan and develop services for the managed care market, and how to sell professional services in an era dominated by active payor entities. The increased importance of automation, group practices, and effective office management skills are discussed. Although of particular value to outpatient practitioners, Marketing Mental Health Services to Managed Care also discusses marketing strategies and revenue generating ideas for inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities. Program managers, administrators, and marketing professionals in the hospital industry will find this book a valuable investment.Of special interest to all readers are chapters addressing the impact of managed care systems--with their focus on accountability, cost-effectiveness, and quality--upon traditional clinical paradigms. Brief therapy skills and techniques are discussed by these two veteran clinicians and writers. Emerging clinical innovations and effective reimbursement strategies are also discussed in this remarkable new book. A resource section, managed care company directory, and a glossary of terms make this a practical guidebook of long-lasting value to professionals from many disciplines. College professors and graduate students will also find Marketing Mental Health Services to Managed Care a valuable introduction to marketing professional services in the managed care dominated marketplace for healthcare today.