December 2001 • Volume 7 • Number 12
Mental health position paper offers 'tool' for Fps
Even though treating mental illness is an integral part of primary care, reimbursement practices discriminate against FPs, says an AAFP position paper on the subject.
"The Provision of Mental Health Services by Family Physicians" was written in response to alarms sounded by family physicians, says Sharon Sweede, M.D., of Asheville, N.C. Those concerns were not just over reimbursement, but also about the public lack of perception of family physicians' ability to provide mental health care, says Sweede, a member of the AAFP Commission on Public Health.
Managed care companies often "carve out" mental health services from primary care and may deny coverage for mental health treatment by patients' personal physicians. In order to improve mental health care, primary care physicians need to be able to treat patients and be reimbursed for that care, says Sweede.
"This information will not come as a surprise to family physicians," says Sweede. "It's important more as a tool for us to present to insurance carriers, legislators and other agencies."
That "tool" is now available from the AAFP order department. It can be ordered by calling (800) 944-0000 and asking for product #714.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2001 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
FP Report | Headlines |AAFP Home | Search