The plan was managed with a provider network, utilization review and risk sharing by the state and the managed care company. Interesting data comparing the cost of generous mental health benefits with the realized financial benefits come from the corporate sector. Corporations that have redesigned their benefits to remove disincentives to outpatient mental health treatment have realized great savings. In 1989 BellSouth adopted a mental health benefit that encouraged treatment in the least restrictive environment. In 1989, McDonnell Douglas adopted a mental health benefit with no constraints on the modality of treatment.
Employer realize other significant savings by offering enriched mental health treatment benefits.
There is also a body of evidence supporting the cost savings and quality improvement opportunities found in intermediate treatment modalities. The research does not support this position. For most patients, psychotherapy is not an interminable enterprise, as has been suggested. Research has shown that the average course of outpatient psychotherapy is 8 visits. Eighty percent of cases are completed by the 20th visit.