They are increasingly accepted by both patients and physicians, so much so that the U.S. Department of Labor predicts a 36 percent increase in these jobs through 2005 to accommodate growing demand. MCOs increasingly turn to telephone triage and on-line health advice services to reduce members' avoidable visits to health providers. According to the MCOs, this not only helps reduce unnecessary costs, but contributes to better outcomes by helping members become more involved in their own care. Historically, demand for outpatient health care has been largely unmanaged. Cutting costs is a natural benefit of it.
Consumer satisfaction is also reportedly very high.
As a result, MCOs are either buying a demand management program from a vendor or building their own, thereby creating jobs for experienced nurses. Wood advises his clients that nurses must have at least five years' experience in order to bring clinical judgement to each call. According to AHA, demand management will receive greater attention in the future, focusing on reducing utilization through programs that support health and medical self-care. About six million people have access to 24-hour telephone health information and counseling services, which coach consumers through care options. The nursing community continues to express concern about some managed care organizations' pattern of excluding APRNs from provider panels.