Written by a team of nationally recognized authorities on managed care, Managed Behavioral Health Care Handbook guides you through specific strategies that characterize contemporary efforts made at managing behavioral health care, building a clear understanding of their role, and their effect in improving the quality of behavioral health care today, and in the future. From beginning to end, you will learn the core components of the managed behavioral health care process and gain invaluable insight into the numerous controversies and public policy issues.

In recent years, State Medicaid agencies and other public sector entities -- in particular, State, county, and local substance abuse and mental health (SA&MH) authorities -- have increasingly been taking the initiative to purchase SA&MH managed care (MC) services from private sector org's. or specialized nonprofit agencies. This is a practical guide for public purchasers and others involved in the design and develop. of MC initiatives involving SA&MH services. Chapters: designing, procuring, and implementing a MC system; coverage; contracting for network services; the mgmt. info. system; quality mgmt.; financial issues; and consumer protections. Bibliography.