A Guide To Managed Care Medicine

Provides physicians, administrators, and other health professionals with information on managed care, from its history, forms and practices to detailed information on managed care contracting, physician compensation, monitoring, reporting, management, risk, productivity, and accountability. Annotati

You'll find the practical guidance you need to transition smoothly int o the managed care environment. You'll learn the pros and cons of prac ticing in a managed care setting, the daily life of managed care physi cians, the role of managed care in medical education and health care r eform. Discover how to take advantage of new opportunities and avoid p itfalls, balance cost consideration with clinical decision-making, and understand the case mix systems most frequently used in managed care. Written almost entirely by physicians, The Physician's Guide to Manag ed Care is a must for any physician interested in meeting future chall enges.

Managed health care is one of the most confusing areas any consumer can deal with. Rules and regulations are constantly changing, providers are always merging and changing their offerings, and paperwork abounds. In easy-to-understand language, this book explains how to understand options, how to get treatment for chronic and long-term illnesses, how to get the most care for the least cost, and more.

Options for physicians working within the prepaid medicine system make sense when you understand the pros and cons, strategies, and structures analyzed in this guide to the new managed care environment. -- Evolution of the managed care movement -- Myths about organizational requirements for managed care success -- Pros and cons of solo practice versus IPA, PHO, or group practice -- Working for a hospital or HMO -- Entrepreneurial, legal, and regulatory characteristics of each model -- Best opportunities for primary care and specialist physicians -- The ideal physician organization for managed care -- Future winners and losers, quality of care, reform, and Wall Street Analyze the cost and benefits of practice and managed care proposals, because an informed choice makes good medicine work.

The first section leads us through the complicated and risky business of capitation and examines reimbursement in a managed care environment. The idiosyncrasies of managed care contracts are detailed and you will learn how to negotiate with managed care companies. There is a focus on practice profiling and the presentation of an expertise on referral guidelines. The final chapter explores the ethical issues of managed care. In section II you will find a description of outcome research and youseful information for the implementation of outcomes research in community-based office practices. The third section begins with two chapters on improving office efficiency and managing staff in a managed care environment. The next chapter leads us through the important and complicated software selection process for the individual practitioner's needs. A private practitioner offers his insight into managing a medical practice and the section completes with some helpful pointers to avoid malpractice claims. Section IV provides the physicians' response to managed care. The legal issues of mergers and networks are discussed. Several practicing physicians outline their personal experiences in the rapidly changing world of physician network development. The book's final chapter leaves us with an expertise on how physicians can take back healthcare

Managed care organizations are paving the way to the future of health care delivery in the United States and countries around the world. As managed care systems evolve, a major concern is quality. Managed Care Quality: A Practical Guide is a collection of applications and experiences gathered from practicing health professionals in the field of managed care. This first "how to" guide was written to help managed care organizations meet the common objective of ensuring the best quality of services and care. Managed Care Quality: A Practical Guide presents successive steps in implementing quality in health care organizations. It introduces the methods, skills, and practices involved in quality health care programs and offers solutions to problems typically encountered in managed care.

The new Third Edition of Managed Health Care: What It Is and How It Works is a concise introduction to the foundations of the American managed health care system. Written in clear and accessible language, this handy guide offers an historical overview of managed care and then walks the reader through the organizational structures, concepts, and practices of the managed care industry. This thorough revision has been completely updated with all the newest data on this dynamic industry and features all new sections on: pay for performance, consumer directed health plans, new approaches to care management, as well as advances in information technology.

The origins of managed health care -- Types of managed care organizations and integrated health care delivery systems -- Network management and reimbursement -- Management of medical utilization and quality -- Internal operations -- Medicare and Medicaid -- Regulation and accreditation in managed care.

Making Managed Healthcare Work is your comprehensive guide to developing and implementing a new strategic approach to managed care that's practical, performance-based, and results-oriented. Learn how to prepare for, identify, pursue, negotiate and implement a new type of managed care arrangement that can accomplish the objective of delivering quality care at competitive prices.