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Psychologists' Experiences with the Better Access Initiative: A Pilot Study.
- Source :
-
Australian Psychologist . Sep2011, Vol. 46 Issue 3, p153-162. 10p. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- The Australian Government's Better Access initiative was introduced in late 2006 to increase treatment rates for people with mental disorders. It provides for reimbursement of psychologists' services through Medicare. The current pilot study examines the experiences of psychologists with this initiative. A random sample of 204 of 4,235 psychologists in private practice was approached and 73 psychologists (36%) were interviewed. The current study suggests that psychologists have had positive experiences with Better Access. They have appreciated the greater security of income and greater variety of work afforded by the initiative, and they have observed flow-on benefits in terms of increased access and reduced stigma for their clients. Additional research is required to corroborate these findings with a larger sample of psychologists, but the current findings provide indicative evidence that Better Access is assisting psychologists to meet a previously unmet community need for mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *GOVERNMENT programs
*MENTAL health services
*MENTAL illness treatment
*EXPERIENTIAL learning
*COMMUNICATION
*CONTENT analysis
*HEALTH care reform
*HEALTH services accessibility
*INTERPROFESSIONAL relations
*INTERVIEWING
*HEALTH policy
*MEDICAL referrals
*MEDICARE
*PSYCHOLOGISTS
*RESEARCH funding
*STATISTICAL sampling
*SOUND recordings
*SYSTEM analysis
*WORK
*EMPLOYEES' workload
*HEALTH insurance reimbursement
*PILOT projects
*THEMATIC analysis
*PHYSICIANS' attitudes
*ECONOMICS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00050067
- Volume :
- 46
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Australian Psychologist
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 104589823
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9544.2011.00039.x