Managed Care: What It Is and How It Works, 2nd ed, by Peter R. Kongstvedt. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers; 2002. 329 pages, softcover, $38.00.
The overarching purpose of the second edition of Managed Care: What It Is and How It Works is to imbue the reader with a solid understanding of how managed care works. And, indeed, it cannot be gainsaid that this core goal has been substantially achieved by physician-author Kongstvedt. In quite capable fashion, Kongstvedt traces the principal lineaments comprising the body of managed care. At the least, this easy-to-read, managed care primer should inculcate the reasonably discerning reader with generalized knowledge of the broad contours of managed care, and impart respect for the ever-shifting dynamics of this vibrant, contentious realm.
Kongstvedt's relatively terse volume is a member of the family of the Managed Health Care Handbook series. Writing in a style that is neither pedantic nor overly didactic, Kongstvedt illumines the timely subject of managed care in a pellucid, if somewhat unanimated, manner. The pages of the volume are saturated with clear exposition, which adds flesh to the bones of some of the intricacies of managed care.
The textual material ramifies into seven chapters. Particular appendages of the body of managed care dissected and examined assiduously by Kongstvedt include: the historic evolution of managed care; managed care variants, and their respective structures; the insinuation of managed care into primary-care medicine, specialty medicine, and the hospital industry; management of medical utilization and quality management, in the wider context of managed care; managed care in the particular contexts of the Medicare and Medicaid programs; and state and federal regulatory requirements affecting managed care.
A prolix, salutary glossary adjoins the text. The multitude of "figures" that suffuse the text further contribute to the practical value of the book. In sooth, Kongstvedt's vade mecum for persons interested in learning about managed care proffers a good, solid introduction to this vital, and vexing, subject. Prospective readers should understand, though, that Kongstvedt, figuratively speaking, shows a snapshot of managed care, taken at a particular moment in time; and that managed care is undergoing quite rapid metamorphosis. Moreover, the epitome of managed care, although described ably by Kongstvedt, does not constitute a valid surrogate for counsel with qualified experts to resolve nettlesome issues of specific, real-life cases.
The potential beneficiaries of this very good book are actually wide-ranging, extending to: health care professionals, health care administrators, and interested lay persons. Kongstvedt's well-crafted book is surely a laudable contribution to the literature of managed care.