Quality management in health care
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The financing and organization of health care in the United States has been rapidly evolving in the last 30 years. Managed care and capitation have largely replaced fee-for-service as a way to pay providers. Cost-control initiatives were developed by payers. ⋯ These might be referred to as disease management that includes evidence-based medicine and outcomes measurement. It is proposed that a third revolution, patient empowerment, is just starting. The potential far-reaching consequences are described, discussed, and analyzed here, including their cost consequences.