Publisher's Synopsis
A discussion of managed care. It is designed to serve either as a resource for teaching students or for independent and self-paced study. The initial chapters provide an overview of the changes in health-care delivery in the USA, including the forces that are shaping the environment. The basic structure and components of managed care organizations are then presented as well as the role of managing the health of these organization's populations. In addition, future challenges such as evidence-based medicine, medical ethics and quality measurement are also discussed. A series of cases based on a fictional family selecting a health plan and using its resources are provided to stress important topics; and a glossary section defines basic concepts frequently encountered in the managed care field. Key concepts significant to managed care are emboldened throughout the text and can be found defined in the glossary.
