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The numbers myth in community mental health

  • Psychiatric Administration
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Abstract

This paper presents preliminary data on repeated services to the same patients, provided in one county mental health program in California. It indicates the effects on inferences drawn from mental health service data as a result of failure to identify such repeated services. In order to ascertain accurately the costs of services provided to suchpatients, and in order to compare costs under different kinds of service systems, it is essential to identify patients and to identify all services provided to them over time. These data suggest that costs reported per “patient” are seriously underestimated because of the failure to make the kinds of identifications mentioned.

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References

  1. 1972 Reference Data of Socioeconomic Issues on Health. Am. Med. Ass'n. Center for Health Services Research and Development. Chicago.

  2. Gardner, E. A.; Miles, H. C.; Bahn, A. K., et al. Psychiatric Experience in a Community. Arch. Gen. Psychiat., 14: 1–19, 1966.

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Author notes

  1. Donald A. Schwartz M.D. (Adjunct Professor)

    Present address: Psychiatry at UCLA, 90024, Los Angeles, California

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychiatric Institute, 706 Westwood Plaza, 90024, Los Angeles, California

    Donald A. Schwartz M.D. (Adjunct Professor)

Authors
  1. Donald A. Schwartz M.D.
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  2. Louise D. Epps Ph.D.
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Additional information

At the time that this study was begun, Dr. Schwartz was Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine, and Chief of Adult Inpatient Services in Psychiatry at Orange County Medical Center, and Dr. Epps was Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology at UCLA.

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Schwartz, D.A., Epps, L.D. The numbers myth in community mental health. Psych Quar 48, 320–326 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01562155

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01562155

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