Beyond managed care

Even as the federal government tries to prop up Medicare managed care, HMOs continue to pull out of the program. But a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services demonstration project aims to show that one concept of managed care can keep chronically ill patients healthier and lower overall costs. The concept, coordinated care, blends case management and disease management, giving patients the resources to manage their own care more actively. But, please, just don't call it managed care.