Managed care and its implications for social work curricula reform: policy and research initiatives

A multitude of social, economic, and health factors are forcing the health care industry to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of health and mental health care delivery. Managed care has emerged in this environment of cost containment, as a viable distributive mechanism for the allocation of health care resources. Schools of social work must consider additions and/or revisions to their curriculum, in order to adequately prepare social workers to practice in a managed care environment. A major barrier is the negative attitude held by many practitioners and educators towards managed care. This paper discusses the evolution of managed care, and the challenges to social work education, including the necessity for developing a more balanced view of managed care. Suggested curricular revisions are provided for two major content areas: policy and research.