Summary
Responses by 82 licensed clinical psychologists in California to a 39-item survey (sent to a random sample of 429) showed that fees per hour, number of sessions, and self-rated quality of care all were lower under managed care. Participants reported pressure to terminate quickly and premature termination of treatment by a third party payer. In spite of low morale, most did not intend to leave the field. They had not needed to be retrained for brief psychotherapy, had not altered theoretical orientation and treatment mode from when they first began practice, had not altered diagnoses to fit the requirements of a managed care company, and had not experienced difficulty in becoming providers for managed care companies or in hospitalizing acutely ill patients.