Improving Medi Cal Managed Care Plan Quality

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed California's Medicaid managed care program, focusing on: (1) state oversight of managed care contractors; (2) state plans for expansion; and (3) key issues in implementing the expanded program. GAO found that: (1) California plans a major expansion of its Medi-Cal managed care program in selected counties; (2) by the end of 1996, the number of enrollees in California managed care plans will total over 3.4 million, almost four times the number currently enrolled; (3) enrollment will be mandatory for women and children, who will choose from one of two plans, unlike the current voluntary system with several choices; (4) mandatory enrollment could magnify the problems already associated with California's Medi-Cal program, such as availability and quality of services, capabilities of management staff, and providers' financial incentives to limit care; and (5) any benefits of competitive managed care could be lessened by California's decision to limit beneficiaries to two health plans.

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.

Managed Care

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

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