Active planning was implemented to treat people with mental disorder in their communities in order to decrease all health care costs. There are thee major populations of individual who may be community based or outpatient mental health care consumers:
The physically disabled or elderly infirm who require home services for mental; health care. These individuals use a variety of payment options that affect the quality and duration of their care at home. The first two payment options, Medicare and Medicaid, which are sponsored by the federal and state governments, are the most common options for individuals in this category. In addition to Medicare and Medicaid, health care costs are funded by private health insurance, health maintenance organizations, or self pay.
Individual with nondisabling mental disorders who are able to continue working and fulfilling their normal social roles. The ability of such individuals to continue their normal roles is supported by the use of psychotropic medications. Psychotropic medications alter the neurochemistry of the brain so that brain chemistry approaches more normal levels. Disabling mental symptoms are reduced to more comfortable levels. Outpatient individual or group therapy augments pharmacotherapy.
Individual who are psychiatrically disabled. There is a growing percentage of people with chronic, disabling mental disorders because of the decreasing public and private support for mental health services. This segment of the population is particularly affected by the current crisis in health care costs. Inadequate funding and lack of comprehensive policy planning left woeful gaps in care, particularly when accompanied by the national trend of deinstitutionalization. Currently, the most commonly used treatment option open to the chronically mentally client is the community mental health center.
Mental disorder populations
