What Does Obamacare Mean to U.S. Psychiatrists and Patients?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to unprecedented, large-scale changes in the financing, organization, and delivery of health care in the United States, including the use of new service delivery models and novel reimbursement strategies. The impact of these changes on psychiatry and quality care for psychiatric patients is unclear. The workshop “Psychiatry and Health Care Reform: Where Are We? What’s Ahead?” will describe how recent health care reform is impacting U.S. psychiatrists, identify challenges to U.S. psychiatrists in realizing the goals of the ACA, and discuss potential approaches for meeting those challenges. The session will be led by Kristin Kroeger Ptakowski, APA’s chief of policy, programs, and partnerships, and Philip S. Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H., director of APA’s Division of Research. Here are the other presenters and their topics:

• Joyce C. West, Ph.D., M.P.P.: Study of Psychiatry Under Health Care Reform

• Anita Everett, M.D.: How Is the ACA Affecting Practicing Clinicians? (This will include a discussion of psychiatrists’ changing roles and participation in new integrated models of care as well as challenges psychiatrists may face in adopting new payment mechanisms and electronic health records.)

• Irvin Muszynski, J.D.: Federal and State Policy and Implementation Barriers to ACA: Improving Treatment Access and Quality

• Kristin Kroeger Ptakowski and Philip S. Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H.: Concluding Comments and Discussion

The workshop will be held Monday, May 16, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Room B408, Building B, Level 4, of the Georgia World Congress Center. ■