title: Unsettling times for public health care providers.
abstract: Public health care facilities are facing challenging times as managed care sweeps the nation. Many of their traditional patients are switching to private health plans. Managed care organizations often are reluctant to contract with or refer patients to public facilities because of their relatively high costs. Public providers systems must deliver a quality product at competitive costs to survive in a managed care environment.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control; D004465:Economic Competition; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008484:Medicaid; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000639:trends*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014481:United States