ABSTRACT
Our task seemed simple enough: Describe the functional organization and administration of clinical services provided by psychologists in health care settings. Between the two of us we have over 35 years of clinical, training, and administrative experience in academic and government agencies. We have developed, managed, reorganized, and administered psychology services and psychology training programs in medical centers, community hospitals, and outpatient clinics. Experience should have provided us with a clear vision of our goal. But as we considered the breadth and nature of the services provided by psychologists in health care settings, it became apparent to us that the task was far more complex than we had initially anticipated. To complicate matters further, we found the published literature to be of little help. That is not to say that material is not available to guide us. In fact, two relatively recent books have been published that describe the practice of psychology in clinical health care settings and hospitals (American Psychological Association, 1998b; Sweet, Rozensky, & Tovian, 1991b). Yet nowhere in either of these two works does one find a discussion of models for organizing and managing the delivery of psychological services.
