Insurance status and length of stay for involuntarily hospitalized patients

General and private psychiatric hospitals are becoming increasingly common as sites for involuntary hospitalization. Unlike the public,facilities that these settings are supplanting, these hospitals must pay strict attention to issues associated with reimbursement. insurance status, and managed Care . This article examines the effects of insurance status on length of stay f or involuntarily hospitalized patients in general and private hospitals in Massachusetts. Using a two-stage sampling procedure, data on episodes of in voluntary hospitalization were gathered and assessed using multiple regress ion. The primary effect was found between patients with Medicare, who had t he longest stays, and individuals who were uninsured. who had the shortest. The data raise concerns that warrant closer scrutiny on the part of admini strators and clinicians.