Back to the drawing board

An integrated delivery system in Mississippi prepares for managed care with a massive information systems overhaul that scraps old systems in favor of new.     

Back to the drawing board: new directions in health plans' care management strategies

The backlash against managed care has pressured health plans to reexamine their approaches to controlling utilization and managing their members' health care needs, but how much has really changed? Interviews with health plans and others in twelve nationally representative markets suggest that the changes are significant. New and refined disease management programs are improving the care experience of participants with certain prevalent chronic illnesses, while utilization management changes are reducing the administrative burden for providers. Still, disease management programs will need to greatly expand in scope and scale if plans are to succeed in addressing the complex health care needs of aging populations and those with chronic diseases.     

Back to the drawing board. Hospitals, insurer support not enough to save California's universal coverage plan; lack of physician backing hurt chances

A defeat in California for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comprehensive healthcare reform plan was not only a blow to advocates of the initiative but also could be a setback for other states that were hoping to follow in the Golden State's footsteps. Lloyd Dean, left, president and CEO of Catholic Healthcare West, said that he is "concerned this lack of progress will result in further deterioration of California's healthcare system".     

From the back room to the board room

CIOs are gaining new responsibilities as health care organizations turn to their information systems departments for help in achieving strategic objectives. CIOs are moving up the corporate ladder, participating in top-level decisionmaking and devising new ways to use information technology to solve business problems. They're discovering that an understanding of managed care and other industry trends is more important than technical knowledge of computers.