Putting a new face on managed care. Consumers need convincing about quality issues.
Widespread consumer suspicion about the quality of managed care indicates that marketers still have work to do Research shows that women identify personal relationships with physicians, medical expertise, speed of access, and comprehensiveness of service as important signs of quality when selecting a managed care plan for their families. Based on existing research findings and new focus group data, this article provides guidelines for promoting an association of quality with managed care, particularly among women.
Greenwald
Howard P
HP
University of Southern California (USC) School of Policy, Planning, and Development, USA. greenwa@usc.edu
Chen
Robert J
RJ
Johnston-Zamora
Margaret
M
D003258:Consumer Behavior; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States