Psychiatrists are drawn toward premature diagnosis in order to be reimbursed by medical insurance companies
The most senseless driver of diagnostic inflation in psychiatry is the way medical insurance works in the United States. To get paid, the doctor must make an approved diagnosis. This is intended to prevent frivolous visits. But the unintended effect is just the opposite of prudent cost control. A premature rush to a reimbursable psychiatric diagnosis often results in unnecessary, potentially harmful, and often costly treatment for problems that would have disappeared on their own. It would be a lot cheaper and better for insurance to reimburse the doctor for watchful waiting and counseling, rewarding them for not jumping to diagnostic conclusions that are very costly in the long run. This perfectly sensible solution is the policy in the rest of the world.
References
- Frances, Allen. (2013). Saving Normal CHAPTER 3. Diagnostic Inflation (p. 123). New York, NY: HarperCollins.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Psychiatry Status:☀️