CHARACTERIZING PSYCHIATRY WITH FINDINGS FROM THE 1996-NATIONAL-SURVEY-OF-PSYCHIATRIC-PRACTICE

Objective: The authors' goal was to characterize psychiatric practice by reporting findings from the 1996 National Survey of Psychiatric Pra ctice. Method: A random sample of 1,481 APA members was selected to pa rticipate in the study; 1,375 APA members were determined to be eligib le for study participation. The authors report data from 970 responden ts (70.5% response rate) and compare them with data from previous surv eys of psychiatrists. Results: Twenty-five percent of the participatin g psychiatrists were women, compared with 19% in a 1988-1989 survey. S ince 1988-1989, the proportion of psychiatrists 39 years old or younge r has decreased and the proportion of those 55 years old or older has increased. In 1996, psychiatrists saw, on average, 35.4 unduplicated p atients and worked an average of 46.4 hours in a typical week. Patient s with mood disorders as their primary diagnoses accounted for the gre atest proportion of psychiatrists' caseloads, followed by patients wit h anxiety disorders, then those with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Public sources of payment and uncompensated care were the main sources of payment for psychiatrists services for 41.7% of patien ts. The primary payment mechanism for psychiatrists' patient care serv ices was fee-for-service, accounting for 52.5% of psychiatrists' incom e from direct patient cave. Twenty-nine percent of psychiatric patient s received care through some form of managed cave system, and 41.6% re ceived treatment through a nonmanaged public or private health plan. C onclusions: As psychiatry moves into the next century, findings from t he National Survey of Psychiatric Practice will form a baseline for mo nitoring changes and trends in the delivery and financing of mental he alth services.