Defining Managed Care and Its Application to Individuals with Disabilities

Abstract

Managed health care was originally targeted toward healthy populations, but recently, managed care has moved into less traditional markets, including managing health care for individuals with disabilities. An understanding of managed care concepts and their application to individuals with disabilities is important, as these models are applied to this population. The purpose of this article is to define managed care from the perspective of each stakeholder and describe how managed care is currently affecting community services and outpatient care for individuals with disabilities. Broad definitions of managed care and the roles and considerations for the various stakeholders in managed care are presented. Various types of managed care models are discussed. Trends in the application of managed care to individuals with disabilities are also presented.