86% Of In-Network New York Mental Health Provider Organizations Do Not Offer Appointments

Using a "secret shopper" survey, The New York Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that 86% of listed, in-network mental health provider organizations were either unreachable, not actually in-network, or not accepting new consumer appointments (termed "ghost listings"). When callers tried to schedule an appointment for an adult or child with a mental health provider organization who was listed in the directory as accepting new consumer appointments, the success rate ranged from 0% to 35%, resulting in just 56 of 396 calls resulting in appointments (14%).

Consumers depend on their health insurance to access and afford mental . . .