A Dozen Benefits from the Managed Care Movement. (Managed Care on Trial)‪.‬

PEOPLE ARE LIVING longer than ever, our infant mortality rate is the lowest on record, and immunization rates and screening rates for mammography and Pap smears are at all-time high. At the same time, inflation of medical costs has slowed remarkably; some companies have even reported a reduction in medical costs in recent years (particularly in 1994-95). The value of health care dollars spent is at new heights, while our nation's health is at an unprecedented pinnacle. All this has been accomplished as more and more people are moving into managed care plans--there is a connection to quality and cost that is difficult to deny. Today all forms of health care coverage, including PPOs, POS (point of service) products, and even indemnity plans are benefiting from initiatives developed, for the most part, within HMO model types. This article describes a dozen significant advancements in health care delivery that have come about through the evolution of managed care. The managed care movement: