A vision for ambulatory care in the 21st century

The 1990's have been a remarkable decade for ambulatory care providers. Ambulatory care services have flourished in an era of rapidly increasing demands and seemingly limitless potential. Will the first decade of the next millennium continue this trend or is something new on the horizon? Ambulatory care's future prospects need to be evaluated within the context of the overall health care delivery environment of the future. At this time, three alternative "futures" seem plausible for the next decade. Managed care dominates. This scenario appears most likely at present with managed care poised to make significant inroads into Medicaid and Medicare populations. National health insurance is instituted. Some believe that this is a logical reaction to the excesses of the current competitive marketplace and is possible following the presidential election of 2004. Slow evolution of current system. This scenario may be viewed as the status quo alternative and is likely in the absence of a crisis or a better, generally agreed upon way in which to improve health care delivery.