It's put-up-or-shut-up time for healthcare providers in 1996.
Two years ago, the president and everybody else with an opinion talked about fixing the healthcare system. Not much happened.
Last year, providers and politicians concentrated on squeezing medical costs. Mergers, managed care and Medicare/Medicaid spending reductions monopolized the headlines.
This year it's back to the basics of running a business. The stampede to managed care and the chaotic formation of integrated delivery systems need to begin paying off in the form of lower-cost, higher-quality healthcare. And it's high time that providers start focusing more attention on patients and on their employees.
I've had the pleasure of directing MODERN HEALTHCARE's editorial efforts since July 1986. The current squad of 27 reporters and editors is probably the finest collection of journalists this magazine has ever assembled.
We've asked some of our key beat reporters to outline the stories they expect to cover in 1996. Suffice it to say that investor-owned healthcare companies, HMOs, physician groups and information systems will play important roles in this year's $1 trillion tale of healthcare.
Clark W. Bell
Editor
Topics in the Outlook section are:
Healthcare systems, this page
Investor-owned chains, p. 40
Medical groups, p. 40
Religious healthcare, p. 42
Managed care, p. 44
Post-acute care, p. 44
Finance, p. 45
Hospital supply purchasing, p. 46
Information systems, p. 46
Labor, p. 48
Legal, p. 49
Construction, p. 50