'Phantom networks' of managed behavioral health providers: an empirical study of their existence and effect on patients in two New Jersey counties.

Managed care organizations often tout the availability of clinicians in their provider networks, yet their clients seeking mental healthcare may find it difficult to obtain such care in a timely and effective manner. Using comprehensive data from two counties in New Jersey, the authors examine the prevalence of phantom networks of managed care providers of behavioral health services and the effects of such networks on patients' wait times and the availability of therapists treating children.