Toward a Common Language for Mental Health Services Accountability

With increasing demands for practitioner accountability, pressures continue to mount for mental health service providers to articulate the medical necessity and appropriateness of their services. In this second edition (see record 1996-98111-000), these authors extend their emphasis on patient impairment profile (PIP) documentation, walking practitioners through a treatment documentation method they hope will enhance payment authorization by utilization reviewers and stimulate practitioners' own continuous quality improvement efforts. The PIP-based approach places assessment of the patient's behaviorally stated impairments and the severity of those impairments at the core of treatment plan development and record keeping. The PIP drives patient objectives, which in turn drive practitioner interventions. Taken together, these elements comprise a treatment plan focused on "repairing" the impairments and a record focused on "How is the patient managing?" rather than "How are you managing the patient?" Other books, manuals, and training materials already exist on such topics as treatment planning, problem-oriented record keeping, and dealing successfully with managed care reviewers. This one is a particularly good one in terms of internal consistency, clarity, and case study illustrations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)