Professional resistance to managed care in Oklahoma: an issue of quality

Anecdotally one hears a great deal of concern and anger expressed by Oklahoma health care professionals over the growth of managed care in Oklahoma. Little has been in the professional literature, however, that explains the source of this resistance. The Oklahoma Rural Research and Demonstration Center sponsored a project to explore the opinions of Oklahoma health care professionals in regard to managed care. A 38-item written questionnaire was distributed to Oklahoma health care providers, health professions faculty, and health professional students. The results showed widespread concern about managed care across each of the groups. Primarily, these concerns were about the issue of quality. Differences between groups are also highlighted. Discussion centers around health professionals' lack of trust in managed care systems to do what is medically appropriate when cost is a counter consideration. Further discussion outlines what might be done to alleviate concerns and train new health professionals for a managed care environment.