Managed Care
Managed Care plans are corporations serving large groups of people through a "capitated" system. Managed Care is a method of financing and delivering health care for a set fee using a network of physicians and other health care providers. The network coordinates and refers patients to its health providers and hospitals, and monitors the amount and patterns of care delivered. Managed care plans usually limit which services patients may receive by using "gatekeepers" to make sure services considered un-necessary or referrals outside the network are kept to a minimum. See also
HMO,
IPA,
PHO,
POS, and
PPO.