THE IMPACT OF MANAGED CARE ON THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL-TESTING -PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Although the impact of managed care constraints on assessment practice s has received recent attention, a review of the literature found no d ata-based articles that address this issue. We report survey data on 1 37 members of the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psy chology (Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, 1996) on current testing practices. The majority (72%) reported that their use of tests has changed in the last 5 years due to managed care directives. These clinicians are doing less testing ov erall and restrict their pool of assessment instruments. The Rorschach inkblot technique (Rorschach, 1942), the Thematic Apperception Test ( Murray, 1943), and the Wechsler Intelligence scales (Matarazzo, 1972) were the instruments most noted for disuse. Apparently, practitioners are relying more on short, brief serf-report measures that tap targete d symptoms or problem areas, and less on tests that demand considerabl e clinicians' time. Implications and limitations of the findings are d iscussed.