Community Health Centers: Challenges in Transitioning to Prepaid Managed
Care (Testimony, 05/04/95, GAO/T-HEHS-95-143).

As states move to prepaid managed care to control costs and improve
access for their Medicaid clients, the number of participating community
health centers continues to grow.  Medicaid prepaid managed care is not
incompatible with health centers' mission of delivering health care to
medically underserved populations.  However, health centers face
substantial risks and challenges as they move into these arrangements.
Such challenges require new knowledge, skills, and information systems.
Centers lacking expertise and systems face an uncertain future, and
those in a vulnerable financial position are at even greater risk.
Today's debate over possible changes in federal and state health
programs heightens the concern over the financial vulnerability of
centers participating in prepaid managed care.  If this funding source
continues to grow as a percentage of total health center revenues,
centers must face building larger cash reserves while not compromising
services to vulnerable populations.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-HEHS-95-143
     TITLE:  Community Health Centers: Challenges in Transitioning to 
             Prepaid Managed Care
      DATE:  05/04/95
   SUBJECT:  Health care services
             Disadvantaged persons
             Medicaid programs
             Community health services
             Health centers
             Health care cost control
             Medical economic analysis
             Economic stabilization
IDENTIFIER:  Arizona
             Florida
             Massachusetts
             Pennsylvania
             Tennessee
             Washington
             HHS Community and Migrant Health Centers Program
             HHS Integrated Service Network Development Initiative
             
------------------------------------------------------------------------

We regret that electronic text of GAO Testimony is not available at 
this time. 

See the GAO FAQ - Section 2.0 for printed copy ordering information.
The FAQ is automatically retrieved with all WAIS search results or 
can be obtained by sending e-mail to: [email protected]