NYMC Faculty Publications
Secret Shopper Analysis Shows Getting Psychiatry Appointment in New York City Is Well Kept Secret
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.1007/s10597-022-01006-9
Journal Title
Community Mental Health Journal
First Page
290
Last Page
293
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2023
Department
Medicine
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act prevents payors from imposing more stringent limitations on mental health and substance disorder benefits than medical and surgical benefits. In this study, we assess a New York City insurer's parity compliance based on the accuracy and validity of network-provided information and a consider legal framework to address this. METHODS: A "secret shopper" analysis was performed, in which researchers attempted to contact the 192 psychiatrist providers listed in the 2019 online directory of United Healthcare psychiatry providers. RESULTS: Only 3.1% of calls resulted in researchers booking an appointment. 50.5% of calls resulted in "no response", 18.75% connected to psychiatrists not accepting new patients, and 8.8% of listed providers stated they were not in the United Healthcare network. CONCLUSIONS: Erroneous directory information exacerbates the issue of access to mental health treatment. Enforcement policy should hold insurers accountable for the reliability of their online directories.
Recommended Citation
Tenner, N. L., Reddy, M., & Block, A. E. (2023). Secret Shopper Analysis Shows Getting Psychiatry Appointment in New York City Is Well Kept Secret. Community Mental Health Journal, 59 (2), 290-293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01006-9