Research contributions to improving managed health care outcomes

Managed Health Care programs are beginning to look to findings from psychotherapy outcome research to help set policy. This fact introduces the need to consider outcomes research from the standpoint of usability or utility. It also provides a unique opportunity to integrate science and practice. From a different perspective, considering and applying outcomes in this context requires selfless cooperation between scientists and practitioners, the willingness of each group to set aside guild agenda, and giving up favored but insupportable beliefs and practices on the parts of those in both scientist and practitioner camps. This type of cooperation, while very challenging, may have mutual pay-offs. This article considers some of the obstacles both to this type of sacrifice and evaluates some of the potential costs of cooperating. It also provides some perspectives on the promising new roles of psychological assessment and methods of outcome research which would provide a scientific basis for the function of managed health care.