C Acuff | PubMed Health

PubMed2000

Commentary: listening to the message.

The first-person accounts of c/s/x experiences with the mental health system have several common threads that run through them. These are: (1) labels are stigmatizing; (2) pathology-based models are destructive: (3) it is important to value individuality; (4) alternative treatments are valuable: (5) peer support and self-help are important; (6) therapist training must be reconsidered; and (7) services should be recovery-oriented. In order to be as helpful as possible, mental health professionals must enter into creative partnerships with those in the c/s/x movement, and must consider incorporating these issues in their own functioning and in the training of future professionals.

Community Participation↗

PubMed1999

Considerations for ethical practice in managed care.

How does one maintain an ethical practice while facing the requirements and limits of a health care system that is dominated by managed care? Psychologists are increasingly raising such questions about ethical issues when working in or contracting with managed care organizations. The authors review the process involved in ethical decision making and problem solving and focus on 4 areas in which ethical dilemmas most commonly arise in a managed care context: informed consent, confidentiality, abandonment, and utilization management-utilization review. The need for sustained and organized advocacy efforts to ensure patient access to quality health care is discussed, as is the impact of managed care's competitive marketplace on professional relationships. Hypothetical examples of typical dilemmas psychologists face in the current practice environment are provided to illustrate systematic ethical decision making.

Codes of Ethics↗