The New Healthcare Market: A Guide to PPOs for Purchasers, Payors and Providers

Abstract

Interest in alternative delivery systems, especially in preferred provider organizations (PPOs), has expanded significantly during the last two years. Recent reports indicate that there has been a 300% increase in enrollment in PPOs nationwide in the last year alone. Given this innovation, The New Healthcare Marketprovides a comprehensive reference for purchasers, physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies who are interested in PPO structure, design, utilization controls, legal arrangements, management, and problems. Peter Boland, PhD, a well-known health care consultant, has brought together 107 different contributors— including corporate benefits managers, physicians, insurance executives, attorneys, hospital managers, information specialists, economists, union representatives, and management consultants—to discuss various perspectives on the application of PPO alternative delivery systems in a wide variety of environments. The result is a reflection of the experience and interest they can bring to bear on the analysis of the PPO and preferred provider arrangement (PPA). The content of this