Numerous studies of the impact of managed care on physicians' practices have revealed increasing levels of dissatisfaction with these insurance programs, particularly with respect to reimbursement and limits on professional autonomy.
Placing caps would reduce malpractice insurers' incentives to oversee physician practice patterns and reduce incentives to manage risk in our health care system, and make health care that much riskier for all of us.
James C. Robinson, a professor of health policy and administration at the University of California at Berkeley, said too many nonprofit hospitals had expanded into areas like managed care or physician practices that have proved to be disastrous strategic decisions.
The growth of managed care may affect physician practice pattern throughout the area [ 14, 15].
Dr. Raye Bellinger, a cardiologist who manages a seven physician practice in Sacramento, Calif., has gone back to school without abandoning his business.
Changes in practice patterns for a substantial proportion of insured patients can spill over to people who are not insured by the managed care plans (including the FFS Medicare population) who are seen by the same physicians influenced by the managed care practices and protocols.
Our study is a descriptive evaluation of ED physicians' practice patterns in managing self-reported cocaine users presenting with a single episode of acute chest pain 10 years ago.
A future study could include a nationwide survey of all types of physician practices, regardless of managed care status, ownership, specialty, or size.
Given the rapid development of new products and plans, the inability of physicians to select which products and plans they want to participate in makes it difficult for physicians to manage their practices effectively.
Data from VACS found that providers in Infectious Disease Clinics were less comfortable with managing comorbid diseases such as diabetes and hypertension than physicians practicing in General Medicine Clinics [ 136].
