Economic Issues in Managed Care

Economic issues abound in managed care. The advent of health insurance in the United States, which was created to ensure payment to hospitals, diminished an early emphasis on charity care. Escalating health care costs have ensued. Today, economic considerations dictate the need to control health care expenditures while guaranteeing responsible care. Managed care organizations can achieve both goals by establishing financial partnerships with physicians while instituting quality-control audits, management review teams, and home-care arrangements.