4. Preliminary Remarks

An organisation may be referred to as a managed care organisation (MCOs) if, (a) it implements management instruments, (b) integrates the function of insurance, (c) at least partially provides of healthcare services, (d) aids in the development and implementation of managed care instruments, and/or (e) offers consultation services in dealing with managed care instruments. As previously mentioned in the introduction on the American healthcare system, this does not only include new forms of organisation, as their roots go back to the 1920s and 1930s. The more differentiated organisational forms and products are, the more competitive the healthcare environment. The terms managed care organisation and health plans are often used interchangeably to describe a managed care delivery system.