Practice patterns for the outpatient treatment of depression in a case-managed delivery system: A utilization study

Have you ever wondered how long it takes the average outpatient provider to treat a patient with a depression-related diagnosis? This article provides baseline data by diagnostic categories for women treated for depression. A s a managed behavioral health care company, ValueOptions partnered with the Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists to study how providers use vari ous treatment modalities. Furthermore, this study investigated average leng th of treatment by diagnostic category. The authors hope this information g enerates discussion regarding appropriate expectations for treatment and, t hus, improves the quality of care.