Presents overview of four discussion groups' reactions to Tischler's "Critical Issue Paper 2: Meeting Patient Needs in the 1990's." Summarizes recommendations concerning system challenges and the administrator's role, administrator training, technical assistance, and research needs. (ABL)

Presents summary of group discussions on Surles'"Critical Issue Paper 4: Changing Organizational Structures and Relationships in Community Mental Health." Reveals general agreement with Surles. Suggests areas of beneficial preservice and inservice training for administrators. Recommends areas of research needs. (ABL)

Studied the use of mental health services by enrolled populations, in order to establish a model or predictor of utilization. Primary focus of utilization data has been patient characteristics; organizational variables, such as plan design and benefit packages, are also shown to affect utilization. (LAB)

Discusses the present human resource dilemma facing mental health administrators in these times: the problem of doing more with less, using a weary and beleaguered staff. Addresses possible leadership strategies that will carry the field into the future, beyond the day-to-day concern for immediate survival. Discusses how future leaders in field…

Advantages and disadvantages to various methods of assuring quality and accountability in community mental health centers are discussed. Examples are external structure review, peer monitoring, and site visitation. (LAB)

This article briefly reviews the literature on matrix organizational designs and discusses the ways in which the matrix design might be applied to the special features of a community mental health center. The phases of one community mental health center's experience in adopting a matrix organizational structure are described. (Author)

Discusses these changes in mental health care: patient needs and service utilization; purchasers of care; changing attitudes toward health care; relief or palliation of symptoms; performing life tasks and meeting role requirements; security, protection, and sustenance; and personal potential, satisfaction, and happiness. Concludes changes will…

Presents overview of four discussion groups' reactions to White's "Critical Issue Paper 3: Human Resource Development: The Future Through People." Topics discussed include personal leadership style and changes in the mental health field; changing health care and implications for administrators; intraorganizational focus, leader role, and processes…

Describes how one community mental health center created a system that assists clients with Medicaid applications and assures that all appropriate billing for services occurs. The result was a four-fold return on its investment in the planning and implementation of the system. (Author/BH)

Presents summaries of four group discussions on topics raised by Broskowski's paper "Critical Issue Paper 1: Goldfields and Minefields: Changing Management Technologies and Resources." Outlines ideas and recommendations that arose as common themes from the discussions in these areas: preprofessional training, inservice training needs, technical…

Discusses these trends in mental health services: cost control and financial retrenchment, policy influence and funding, shift of long-term care responsibility, expansion of private health care market interest, and change in characteristics of mentally ill. Recommends information enhancements, market potentials, alternative organizational…

Presents overall summary of the 1986 State-of-the-Art Symposium on Mental Health Administration whose papers and summaries of group discussions are presented previously in this journal. Presents list of 10 topics in contemporary mental health administration which were highlighted. Lists five recommendations made by conferees related to research,…

In this comparison of volunteer programs in mental health institutions, the institution that placed a high value on the work of the volunteers and provided work-related satisfactions for them attracted volunteers who differed from those attracted by institutions that used volunteers only in ancillary capacities. (Author/BEF)

Mental health agencies have been subjected to extensive criticism. Reformers suggest agencies should place more emphasis upon prevention, outreach, and crisis-oriented services and make more use of planning, research, and citizen contributions. Insufficient attention has been given to staff attitudes toward these reforms. A theory for analyzing…

Offers a guide for administrators of mental health facilities who seek to obtain consumer evaluation data. Considers specific choices in these studies and the purpose intended for the research, the inclusion of personnel, client groups, and governing boards in the generation of the research, and the client sample. (BH)