Managed care, prescribing influence

The other corporate influence is that of managed care. The limits on approval, duration, or nature of therapeutic contact, or covered services themselves have turned prescription writing into one of the only reliable and reimbursable acts therapists can perform on behalf of their patients and their livelihood. The 15-minute medication check that has been established as the industry standard of care reduces the therapeutic alliance to an encounter between a prescriber, or... 

In both the public and private health care sectors, the influence of managed care has led to the development of pharmacy benefit packages for patients that limit pharmacotherapeutic selection. More traditional and older-generation antipsychotics and antidepressants may be preferred because of their reduced per-pill costs. Such clinically irrational influences can adversely affect prescribing practice and may have long-term consequences in the form of... 

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