But the most important element of the clinic's success, he says, is a systematic strategy that stresses utilization management, quality assurance, protocol development and a monitoring process. Still, Chenven eschews absolutes when it comes to the issue of whether in general managed care results in a greater malpractice threat to physicians. There are no easy sound bites. Nobody knows what the truth is. We're just in the early phase.
Some physicians feel more certain.
Lawsuits are up. The doctor has to cut corners. Unless you cut corners you can't save money under managed care. Whatever the merits of Green's critique, evidence for his view of malpractice exposure is sketchy at best. However, when examined from a distance, physician loss trends show a slow but steady upward trend since 1988.