Patients May Find It Tough to Reach Psychiatrists, Regardless of Insurance Status

shironosov/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say that patients’ attempting to make an appointment with a psychiatrist is incredibly difficult, regardless of the patient’s insurance status, with just 26 percent of attempts successful.

According to the study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, researchers posed as patients suffering from depression and used the Blue Cross Blue Shield website to reach out to in-network psychiatrists in three major cities — Boston, Houston and Chicago. In their first calls, all made during normal business hours, only 33 percent of their calls reached the psychiatric provider.

A series of second attempts to contact those who did not initially answer was made, and only 26 percent of calls reached the psychiatrists.

Researchers noted that 16 percent of the phone numbers in the Blue Cross Blue Shield database were incorrect, leading patients to unrelated businesses.

The study also found that there was no significant difference in the ease of making a psychiatric appointment whether a patient had Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, Medicare or were paying for services themselves.

Researchers did not reach out to non-psychiatrist mental health providers.

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