Community Support

Regulating Managed Mental Health Care
A Policy Analysis and Discussion
of the Role of Evaluation

David A. Rochefort, Ph.D.
Northeastern University

Prepared for:
The Evaluation Center@HSRI for the Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
US Department of Health and Human Services

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
MANAGED CARE AS AN EMERGING PUBLIC ISSUE
MANAGED CARE REGULATORY TRENDS
    Types of Managed Care
    Regulatory Provisions
STRATEGIES FOR REGULATING MANAGED MENTAL HEALTH CARE
    Mental Health Services in Managed Care
    Regulatory Provisions for Mental Health Care
A FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS
    Policy Instruments
    Quality Assurance
REGULATORY POLICY ANALYSIS
    Post-Legislative Politics
    Bureaucratic Capacity
    Real versus Symbolic Regulation
    Limits of Information Disclosure
    Consumer Participation
    Mental Health Exceptionalism
    Contracting Issues
    Prescribed Treatment via Regulation
    Regulatory Coordination

Program Evaluation as a Regulatory Tool
Acknowledgements
References