Focused psychiatric review: impacts on expense and utilization.

Focused Psychiatric Review, Aetna's inpatient mental health utilization review program, reduces length of stay and stabilizes admission rates and, as a consequence, reduces expenses, according to the study reported in this article. The program has greater impact on psychiatric than on substance abuse treatments. The best estimate of annual net program savings is $34.90 per covered employee, a return of $12.60 saved for each program dollar spent.