What you don't know about your HMO and your doctor could hurt you.

From: Helen Dynda (olddad66@runestone.net)
Mon Dec 30 09:15:35 2002


If you have a managed-care plan (such as a HMO), I encourage you to read this entire article!!

~ ~ ~ ~

X> Doctors' Orders: HMOs can sometimes withhold vital information from patients.....What you don't know about your HMO and your doctor could hurt you...What You Can Do http://www.c4isr.com/oley/lifeline/95-039.htm

. . . . " Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and other managed-care plans, which insure about 1 million people in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, are paying doctors to limit such things as emergency care, hospital stays, expensive tests and referrals to specialists - and to keep it secret from patients.

" A report in the December 21 New England Journal of Medicine studied payment arrangements of 138 managed-care plans in 20 metropolitan areas. The authors focused on cost-saving incentives for doctors.

" While plans vary, many work on an arrangement called capitation - a fixed monthly sum for each patient. This provides profits for doctors and insurers if patients need only check-ups and don't get very sick. But if a patient needs expensive tests or prolonged treatment for diabetes or other chronic diseases, that cuts into profits. Most plans, the study found, now shift part of such higher costs onto doctors.

PLEASE GO TO THE ABOVE WEBSITE TO FINISH READING THIS ARTICLE...


Enter keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords: