title: Importing employer-based managed care initiatives to rural areas: the experience of the South Dakota state employees group.
abstract: In urban areas, employers are frequently in the forefront of efforts to implement managed care initiatives at the community level, either individually or through coalitions. While employer-driven managed care initiatives also exist in rural areas, they are less common and much less is known about them. This article describes and analyzes the early experience of a large rural employer--the state of South Dakota--in its attempt to develop and implement a managed care initiative. Several aspects of that experience suggest that employer-driven managed care models in urban sites may require reexamination and redefinition for implementation in rural areas.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Christianson
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003284:Contract Services; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D008511:Medicine; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D013023:South Dakota; D013038:Specialization; D013219:State Government