In an era of change in our Nation's health care delivery system, substance abuse service (SAS) & mental health providers (MHP) must reconfigure their organizational structures & operations to accommodate managed care (MC) methodologies. This report summarizes the legal issues that SAS & MHP must address when organizing provider-sponsored MC org. (MCOs) & when implementing MC programs through contract negotiation & the delivery of services & care through provider contracts. It furnishes SAS providers, MHP, & provider-sponsored network/MCOs with an overview of pertinent legal, structural, & operational considerations.

This publication was developed through a systematic and innovative process in which clinicians, researchers, program and administrative managers, policymakers, and other Federal, State, and independent experts were brought together for a series of intensive sessions. These individuals reviewed and discussed current administrative and clinical practices for treating substance-abusing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and then wrote and edited the resulting document. The goal of this process was to improve and advance substance abuse treatment for a community of individuals whose health care needs are often ignored, denigrated, or denied.