We need a new phrase. Even the managed care organizations seem to be tiring of the whole idea. It may be that the new phrase is at hand, but I don't believe I've seen it yet. Evidence-based medicine comes close from one direction. Certainly, true managed care must involve identifying what really works.
Quality improvement comes close from another direction.
Its emphasis on improving the processes of care delivery has to be part of managed care. The best managed care available today does incorporate both a reliance on evidence and a hunger for quality, as well as a laudable economic interest in using resources responsibly. Too bad about the name. Whatever it is, you will be seeing a fair amount of it in the pages of FPM over the coming months and, probably, years. Rescuing true managed care from the wreckage of what we now call managed care is an important mission for family physicians today.