The health maintenance organization delivery system. A national study of attitudes of HMO project directors on HMO issues.

Abstract

The results of a national survey of health maintenance organization project directors' attitudes on HMO delivery issues are presented and discussed.

Assessing the Evidence on HMO Performance

“…Physician satisfaction with HMOs can also be measured in terms of the ability of plans to recruit new physicians and to keep turnover to a reasonable level. Whereas prepaid groups had difficulty recruiting physicians in the 1950s and early 1960s because of the opposition of the medical establishment, the situation has now changed and posi tions are readily filled, with the exception of certain subspecialty areas (e.g., orthopedics, neurosurgery) in which physicians in private prac tice can command exceptionally high incomes (Saward and Greenlick, 1972;Lum, 1975;Smillie, 1976). Turnover rate for physicians tends to be significantly higher during the first two years of "probationary" employment than it is for more senior PGP physicians who have achieved partnership status.…”