Research Brief
Improving the Quality and Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment for Depression
Jan 1, 1998
The U.S. health care system is quickly changing, but is it moving in the right direction? Focusing on care for clinical depression as a test case, this paper summarizes the authors previously published findings on the effects of various payment strategies, managed care, and primary care gatekeepers on the outcomes and costs for the treatment of mental health conditions. The authors then synthesize the policy implications of these findings for achieving value of care, lower costs, and good health outcomes.
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Originally published in: Health Affairs, v. 14 no. 3, Fall 1995, pp. 78-89.
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