HOSPITAL PRACTICE - PSYCHOLOGY CALL TO ACTION

The general public has recently made demands for continuity of care in psychological services from outpatient settings to inpatient facilities and back. These demands plus three economic and structural modifications within our nations' health-care arena, including the incursion of for-profit health-care corporations into the health delivery industry, the 1985 JCAH decision to include nonphysician providers on hospital medical staffs, and the 1990 California Supreme Court Decision (CAPP v. Rank) ensuring full medical staff participation by California psychologists, have opened the doors to the independent practice of psychology in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and day treatment facilities. This article presents current professional realities for psychologists in hospitals and health-care settings and reviews the work of the American Psychological Association in support of hospital independent practice.