Word: hmos
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...current system used to measure the quality of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) is inefficient, researchers at Harvard Medical School found in a study released yesterday...
Unfortunately for doctors, they can't say the same. Because their reimbursement rates are often fixed by contracts with HMOs and managed-care groups, doctors cannot readily pass on their increased costs. To pay higher insurance premiums, some doctors have cut back on staff. But others are dropping high-risk specialties or retiring early. "I would be working just to pay my malpractice costs," said Debra Wright, a Las Vegas obstetrician who took a leave of absence this spring to avoid a premium increase to $180,000, from $50,000 last year. She hopes to resume her work if rates...
...conditions, sports injuries and chronic pain. Prenatal and infant massage are also catching on and a rape-crisis center in North Carolina even offers massage or "safe touch" as part of its therapy. A national survey of employer-sponsored health plans by William M. Mercer found that 15% of HMOs offer massage. Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield cover massage in some packages...
...These doctors may have stronger distaste for the constraints that HMOs impose,” he said. “Through their work, they may have preferences for specific providers and facilities that are not part of the HMO network on offer...
Thirty-nine percent of those with moderate-income levels chose HMOs, while only 14 percent of those with high-income levels opted for managed care...