Approaches to change

Abstract

The significant impacts of the managed care industry are being experienced at both the micro-and the macro-Ievel. As managed care systems grow and ass urne responsibility for larger segments of the population, especially those financed with public funds such as the recipients of Medicaid and Medicare, community-based approaches need to be a critical complement to individual clinical interventions. Population-based risk factor rating analyses, a more targeted method for MCOs, could potentially reduce not only high health care costs but also improve access and consumer satisfaction.