Patterns of medical care: comprehensive care vs. categorical disease programs.

Abstract

Several methods of providing personal health services to a community are presented. Various aspects and issues involved in the implementation of today’s two emerging patterns for the provision of medical care—categorical disease programs and comprehensive health care programs–are discussed. We believe that no basic conflict exists between these two patterns of care and that the preferred medical care model would combine the two into a pattern that is categorically oriented within a comprehensive care context. Such a pattern of medical care seems feasible and could solve some of the problems associated with the increased complexity of medicine faced in America today. The role of the university medical centers in assuming leadership in setting up such health care programs is stressed.