TAYLOR ET AL. MANAGED CARE AND PROVIDER SURVEY OF GROUP THERAPY A Survey of Mental Health Care Provider’s and Managed Care Organization Attitudes Toward, Familiarity with, and Use of Group Interventions NICOLAS T. TAYLOR, PH.D. GARY M. BURLINGAME, PH.D. KRISTOFFER B. KRISTENSEN, PH.D. ADDIE FUHRIMAN, PH.D. JUSTIN JOHANSEN, B.S. DAVID DAHL, M.S. ABSTRACT Managed Care has had a significant impact on delivery systems for mental health services. Direct and indirect persuasion to provide more cost-effective treatments has been one conse- quence. The cost-saving qualities and the effectiveness of group interventions have pro- duced clear expectations for an increased use of therapy groups. This study compared perceptions and uses of group treatments on a national sample of managed care organiza- tions and mental health providers. Because group psychotherapy encompasses such a broad definition, five specific types of group interventions were defined: problem-focused homogenous, process-oriented heterogeneous, psycho-educational, self-help, and short-term groups. Implications of differences and similarities between directors of managed care or- ganizations and treatment providers are examined and discussed across five response cate- gories (familiarity/training, perceived effectiveness, likelihood of reimbursement/referral, daily use, and expectation for future use). Over the past two decades, the field of mental health has witnessed the almost revolutionary insurgence of managed care. The primary reason for the arrival and tremendous growth of managed health care was the soaring costs of mental health treatment. Managed care has unquestion- ably affected the delivery of traditional mental health services. Providers 243 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY, 51(2) 2001 This study was funded by a grant from the Group Psychotherapy Foundation.