The paper reviews and evaluates current and future approaches to cost containment in the United States. Managed care was once seen as an effective approach to supporting health care quality while containing costs in the USA. In recent years payors started to look in other directions, since prospects for limiting expenses faded. Nowadays consumer driven health plans seem to be on the rise. The reasons for the decline of managed care, the growing popularity of the consumer driven health plans and the implications for Europe are discussed.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079919 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-3-4 | DOI Listing |
Microbiome
January 2025
Key Laboratory for Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Background: The microbes residing in ruminant gastrointestinal tracts play a crucial role in converting plant biomass to volatile fatty acids, which serve as the primary energy source for ruminants. This gastrointestinal tract comprises a foregut (rumen) and hindgut (cecum and colon), which differ in structures and functions, particularly with respect to feed digestion and fermentation. While the rumen microbiome has been extensively studied, the cecal microbiome remains much less investigated and understood, especially concerning the assembling microbial communities and overriding pathways of hydrogen metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Nurs
January 2025
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Rwanda, Po. Box: 3286, Kigali, Rwanda.
Background: Pressure injuries are costly and can lead to mortality and psychosocial consequences if not managed effectively. Proper management of pressure injuries is crucial for quality nursing care. However, there is limited research on nurses' knowledge and practices in preventing and managing pressure injuries among critically ill patients in Rwanda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Vet Diagn Invest
January 2025
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Brookfield, IL, USA.
Bacteria in the complex and nontuberculous mycobacteria may affect a variety of animal species under human care and pose public health risks as zoonotic pathogens. A case of sudden onset of lethargy and increased respiratory effort in a 5-y-old, intact female reindeer () under managed care had progressed to severe dyspnea despite aggressive treatment. The animal was euthanized due to poor prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Surg Res
January 2025
Center for Injury Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Administration Bldg, Birmingham, Alabama. Electronic address:
Introduction: The management of adhesive small-bowel obstruction (aSBO) continues to have wide variation, with no one management strategy accepted as the optimal. The first objective was to evaluate the methods of management and the variations in the management of aSBO at our institution and evaluate the outcomes of those management strategies. The second objective was to compare our outcomes to those of a published study by which patients were managed using an institutional protocol for aSBO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Dermatol Res
January 2025
Department of Dermatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Limited urgent access to board-certified dermatologists drives patients to seek dermatologic care at urgent care centers (UCC). UCC are staffed by clinicians with comparatively limited dermatology training, often resulting in lower quality care for acute dermatology conditions. Using a retrospective cohort of 839 referrals, this study investigates health care referral outcomes for patients seeking dermatologic care at UCC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!