Report: Medicaid Managed Care Plans Need to Be More Involved in Care Delivery Innovation
<p>As Medicaid programs in many states increasingly turn to managed care to control health care costs, new research suggests that, from the perspective of providers, managed care organizations could be doing more to promote innovation and improvement in care delivery. </p><p>In a new <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2014/apr/role-medicaid-managed-care-health-delivery-system-innovation">Commonwealth Fund report,</a> Georgetown University's Laura Summer and Jack Hoadley explore the views of health care providers, care coordinators, and other stakeholders in four communities: Milwaukee, Oakland, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Their findings show that providers regard managed care plans "more as administrative entities than as innovators in delivery system reform," and do not perceive them to be the primary drivers of improvement efforts on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries. </p>
<p>The authors cite fragmented care delivery systems, limits on the types of services for which insurers are at risk, and market volatility as major challenges. </p>
<p>Visit <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2014/apr/role-medicaid-managed-care-health-delivery-system-innovation">commonwealthfund.org</a> to learn more about Medicaid providers' perspectives on managed care and about policy and operational changes that could expand its role in delivery system reform. </p>