One-stop shopping: the rest of the story

The premise of home care one-stop shopping is that one company with an array of services will be more efficient, and therefore, cost-effective, for a managed care organization than several different companies providing services. As home care companies race to become one-stop shops, there are advantages and disadvantages to entering alliances, developing in-house expertise, or acquiring other companies. This article takes a realistic look at one-stop shopping and argues that it may not always be the best way to serve managed care organizations and their patients and should not be the only long-term solution for the home care industry.