title: The performance of Health Maintenance Organizations: an analytic review.
abstract: An analytic review of the literature on HMO performance reveals common limitations that make available evidence inconclusive, at best. Most studies have been more descriptive than analytic; others are characterized by serious deficiencies in methodology. Although several observations about the effects of HMOs appear frequently, the causes are not known. Four hypotheses concerning performance are advanced for further exploration.
mesh_terms: D002204:Capitation Fee; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006125:Group Practice, Prepaid; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States