Private practice in the public sector: a unique relationship among local government, physicians, and health care consumers in Cincinnati.
Because of health care inequities that still persist under federal and state sponsorship plans, many local government agencies are starting to consider ways of directly providing medical services to the poor. Over 100 years' experience with direct provision programs in the City of Cincinnati, however, have been ultimately counterproductive. A unique three-way contract developed by the Board of Health, a private multispecialty physicians' group and a consumer advocate organization has recently allowed Cincinnati to implement a delivery system that integrates mechanisms for prepaid public health care into a fee-for-service private group practice, all within the context of a community-based neighborhood health care facility. While it is still too early to make a full evaluation of this public health care group practice model, there are already indications that is services will be superior to those offered in Cincinnati's traditional public clinics.
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D005251:Fees, Medical; D005380:Financing, Government; D006077:Government Agencies; D006123:Group Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008489:Medical Indigency; D009820:Ohio; D011315:Preventive Medicine; D011331:Private Practice