Kaiser Permanente's manifesto 2005 demonstration: the promises and limits of devolution.
In 1996, the eight-million member Kaiser Permanente HMO adopted a vision statement that said by 2005 it would expand its services to include home- and community-based services for its members with disabilities. It funded a 3-year, 32-site demonstration that showed that it was feasible to link HMO services with existing home-and community-based (HCB) services and that members appreciated the improved coordination and access. This private-sector project showed that devolution can produce innovative and feasible models of care, but it also showed that without federal financial and regulatory support, such models are unlikely to take hold if they are focused on "unprofitable" populations, for example, those who are chronically ill, poor, and/or disabled.
Leutz
Walter
W
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University's Heller School, Waltham, MA 02454, Brandeis University, USA. leutz@brandeis.edu
Greenlick
Merwyn
M
Nonnenkamp
Lucy
L
della Penna
Richard
R
D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D017149:Private Sector / Q000458:organization & administration