Impact of Managed Care as Perceived by Five Health Care Professions

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1999-09, Vol.99 (9), p.A78-A78
• Main Authors: Wunderlich, S., Beaumont, J., Heir, S., Moran, C., Monico, T., Walton, C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 1878-3570
• DOI: 10.1016/S0002-8223(99)00664-1

The managed care environment has changed the way health care is being delivered. The focus of this study was to determine the impact of managed care as perceived by members of five health care professions. Health care professionals participating in five Internet listserves were recruited by email. A web address for the questionnaire was included in the body of the letter. The twenty-seven-item questionnaire could be answered in less than five minutes. Only Registered Nurses, Registered Dietitians, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, or Physical Therapists practicing in the United States were asked to participate. The anonymous responses came from three to six percent of the listserve members over a two-week period. Fifty percent or more of the participants felt that: their facility was understaffed, they were under more stress, and they spent an inadequate amount of time with each patient. Downsizing has taken place in the facilities of fifty-five percent of participants. Forty percent felt that their patients didn’t receive adequate care. A correlation was found between decreased job satisfaction and understating (p=.0095), increased stress (p=.0001), decreased time spent with each patient (p=.0001), expanded duties (p=.OOOl), downsizing (p=.0001), and profits being put ahead of patient care (p=.002). Managed care has created increased job dissatisfaction among a significant percentage of health care professionals. Further research needs to be conducted to determine whether patient safety has been compromised in the managed care environment.