HMO participation. Must you surrender control?

In the rush to join an HMO "like everyone else is," many physicians are blindly accepting the utilization controls imposed on them. The first step a medical group should take when considering HMO involvement is a careful evaluation of group objectives and analysis of whether an HMO plan is indeed necessary for achieving goals. If so, three choices are available: the group can join an HMO owned and managed by someone else, form and manage its own HMO, or look into contract management. Contract management is a new option for medical groups and offers the opportunity for custom-designing an alternative healthcare plan without surrendering control.