The managed care experience: the social worker's perspective

The noise surrounding managed care is deafening. Clinicians all over America are gearing up for the worst. But what are the implications for social workers? A survey drawn from the NASW Clinical Social Worker Registry reveals that the influence managed care practices have on social work activities is perceived to be increasing and that social workers are experiencing ethical conflicts when dealing with primary insurers. This article explores the experience of managed care in a sample of 442 social worker clinicians and discusses the implications for ethics and social work.