The Access to Allied Psychological Services component
of Australia?s Better Outcomes in Mental
Health Care program enables eligible general
practitioners to refer consumers to allied health
professionals for affordable, evidence-based mental
health care, via 108 projects conducted by
Divisions of General Practice. The current study
profiled the models of service delivery across
these projects, and examined whether particular
models were associated with differential levels of
access to services. We found:
� 76% of projects were retaining their allied
health professionals under contract, 28% via
direct employment, and 7% some other way;
� Allied health professionals were providing
services from GPs? rooms in 63% of projects,
from their own rooms in 63%, from a third
location in 42%; and
� The referral mechanism of choice was direct
referral in 51% of projects, a voucher system in
27%, a brokerage system in 24%, and a
register system in 25%.
Many of these models were being used in combination.
No model was predictive of differential
levels of access, suggesting that the approach of
adapting models to the local context is proving
successful.
Cost, Effectiveness, and Cost-Effectiveness of a Collaborative Mental Health Care Program for People Receiving Short-Term Disability Benefits for Psychiatric Disorders
