Population health: A new way of thinking about managed care and physician payment structures

In the 1990s, the term "managed care" had a negative connotation, as patients perceived it as payers' way of encouraging physicians to deny needed healthcare services. But managed care has come a long way since then and is making a comeback in light of pressure from payers and the public to reduce the cost of healthcare while simultaneously improving its quality. In fact, ­accountable care organizations (ACO), which are cropping up all over the country, are a form of managed care.

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