Current Trends and Issues in Managed Care

Using the South University Online library or the Internet, research on a series of topics that will help you understand the current issues regarding managed care. You can use keywords, such as (but not limited to) managed care, current trends and issues in managed care, pharmacy benefit management, or utilization management.

Like many other aspects of health care, managed care is continually changing and evolving to meet current consumer and market demands. This week, you are required to write an essay on the following topics:

Pharmacy benefit management

Utilization management

Use the following guidelines for developing your essay:

Select at least two articles for each topic from the SUO library, and write a review for each source of information.

Present a summary for each topic tying together the information learned about that topic.

Describe and evaluate the market forces, current trends, and changes in drug benefit programs over the last fifteen years.

Discuss basic approaches and techniques used in utilization management.

Analyze the future of utilization management approaches. How might they change and why?

Justify your ideas and responses by using appropriate examples and references from reputable and scholarly texts, websites, and other references.

Based on your research, summarize your findings on the selected topics and compile your observations in a 5- to 6-page Microsoft Word document.