Hmo ( Health Management Organization ) Is A Preferred Provider Organization

HMO- Is the most popular of the plans and is a group of providers that provides services to subscribers with a very small or even co copay when services are rendered. There actually are various types of HMO's that link providers to create a healthcare delivery system, they are Group Model HMO, Individual Practice Association HMO, Network Model HMO, Staff Model HMO, and Open Access HMO.

Each patient is unique and has different values; therefore, each patient would be attracted to various HMOs for different reasons. Patients would be attracted to the Group Model HMO because it is likely to be a bit more personalized because of a smaller practice and a more laid-back atmosphere. The younger physicians in the practice would be more motivated to succeed; as a patient, that motivation is priceless. In addition, the ability of Group Model HMOs to associate with local hospitals and other local healthcare facilities would be beneficial so that if, as a patient, you required some sort of specialty care that your Group practice was unable to provide, you would be able to receive the necessary referral.

The HMO’s stress wellness and preventive care, therefore its focus is more on health maintenance rather than just the treatment itself. Because of this, HMO’s offer much richer benefits than the traditional plans. HMO’s have little to no upfront costs in an effort to encourage maintenance, while comprehensive and major medical plans have up-front cost sharing so as to discourage over utilization.

EPO vs HMO-- EPO contracts solely with specific specialists, clinics, hospitals and other health care providers to form a network. EPO clients know they don't have many options when it comes to providers, but they do have the comfort of knowing they'll always be reimbursed for any in-network expenses. HMO’s requires a co-payment on each visit while EPO’s have no co-pays. Both EPO’s and HMO’s keep costs low. EPO’s do not require a referral while HMO’s must confirm that specialized care is required before they will issue a referral

The HMOs’ claims and benefits administration department, on the other hand, is responsible for ensuring that all providers are paid for their services and that health care benefits that members are entitled to are honored by the organization (Kongstvedt, 2009; Anderson & Gray, 2013).

The relationship of an HMO and its physician member is to help provide a wider range health care for its patients and a wide area of services available for its physician members. A patient must choose a primary care physician from a list of providers. The relationship with the physician provided from the HMO is in a contract that is to deliver services to their patients for a fee. There can also be a group plan which is a HMOs contract with a group of physicians to deliver services. The HMO organization compared to PPOs, a PPO is a variation of an HMO, and it features traditional insurance and managed care.

The PHO served as a vehicle through which competing hospitals and physicians could bargain collectively with health plans to obtain higher fees for themselves. The owner PHOs, member hospitals, and member physicians canceled contracts with payors and informed them that the PHO would be the sole entity through which they would enter into payor contracts. To contract with the PHO, payors allegedly have had to accept the fixed physician fee schedule and fixed discount of no more than 10 percent off hospital list prices.

Today, there are several types of managed care plans including Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), HMOs, and Point-of-Service (POS) plans. There are many types of HMOs that offer members a variety of health benefits. An HMO plan requires the member to use health care providers and facilities within the HMO network in order receive coverage, unless it is an emergency (Andrews, 2014, p. 1). A PPO is a form of managed care that most resembles a fee-for-service type situation. The plan members can generally refer themselves to doctors, including doctors outside the plan, although they typically will pay a higher percentage of the cost if the doctor is out of the network (Andrews, 2014, p. 1). A POS plan allows members to refer themselves outside the HMO network and still get some coverage (Andrews, 2014, p. 1). While these

HMOs multiplied rapidly with the new federal giveaways. Managed care, now including PPOs, mushroomed. Employers initially perceived managed care plans as cheaper than traditional fee-for-service insurance. Gradually, they stopped offering a choice of health plans, making individual policies more expensive. HMOs' penetration of the industry had been subsidized into existence. Government had instituted managed care. Today, while overall quality of patient care remains the best in the world, doctors practice medicine in an increasingly intricate web of rationing and regulations: Physicians are stripped of professional autonomy. As patients wander the maze of managed bureaucracy, costs rise and quality deteriorates. Every American dependent on a third party for health coverage is a potential victim of managed care. And state sponsored management of medicine

The types of managed care are differentiated by definition, operation, structure, and information needs. `HMOs were the most common type of MCO until commercial insurance companies developed PPOs to compete with HMOs' (Douglas, 2003, p.331). `HMOs are business entities that either arrange for or provide health services to an enrolled population after prepayment of a fixed sum of money, called a premium' (Peden, 1998, p.78). There are three characteristics that an HMO must have. The first is a health care financing and delivery system that provides services for members in a particular geographic area. Second, is ensured access to a complete range of health care services, health maintenance, treatment, and routine checkups. Last, health care must be obtained from voluntary personnel that participate in the HMO. The five HMO models related to the participating physicians are the Staff

The advantages of health maintenance organizations they try to help keep costs under control. Without HMO's doctors being in contract with several insurance companies they can charge what ever they wanted charge for services. However, HMO's plans can control cost by giving the hospitals and physicians office contracts, which tells them how they would get paid if the bill this out-patient and in-patient services. Another advantage I could say is that the HMO network has expands their variety of doctors. Most people choose HMO plans because there are cheaper then PPO plans, also you have to make sure when you choose the HMO plan it fits your family needs.

The Health Maintenance Organizations, well-known as HMO, has made healthcare a reasonably priced for numerous people here in America. What is an HMO? An HMO is an organization where the patient or subscriber is able to choose a medical provider from a list of doctors in a certain medical group. Every medical doctor has signed an agreement to see patients at a reduced rate. This kind of

Physicians who provide care through an HMO can reap lots of benefits for being associated with the plan. One benefit is they paid regardless if they see the patient, consequently, having the ability to be paid without actually doing work is appealing for some doctors. This type of plan requires patients to have a primary care doctor increasing the number of patients assigned to the doctor which will ultimately enhance their salary. The downside is the effects on patient care. Since the aim is to reduce cost doctors may reduce the number of diagnostic testing and lab work that are not deemed essential to stay in line with the premiums.

Throughout the last half of the 20th century, employers have acted on their own to regulate health costs by requiring employees to join health maintenance organizations (HMOs). More than 100 million Americans are under managed care. However, many patients and doctors complain that HMOs impose too many regulations and sacrifice healthcare quality. HMOs are undergoing a high level of scrutiny due to criticisms that the network is controlling and jeopardizing the healthcare system of the nation.

Some of the pros for managed care are; Preventive care — HMOs pay for programs, they are set up and are intended at keeping one healthy (yearly checkups, gym memberships, etc.)The idea is, so they won 't have to pay for more costly services when and if one gets sick. Lower premiums — Because there are limits set as to which doctors one can see and when one can see them, HMOs charge a premium and usually they are lower premiums. Prescriptions — As part of their precautionary retreat, most prescriptions are covered by HMOs for a co-payment that also can be very low. Fewer unnecessary procedures —doctors are given financial incentives from HMOs , to provide only needed care, so doctors are less likely to