Kaiser Permanente's twist on managed care

Abstract

When many physicians think of managed care, they think first of Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest HMO. That perception is misguided, according to David M. Lawrence, MD, the chief executive officer and chairman of the boards of the Kaiser Foundation health plan and hospitals. During a phone interview recently, Lawrence described managed care from his perspective at Kaiser and discussed Kaiser's place in the coming changes in healthcare delivery.

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David M. Lawrence

David M. Lawrence, MD Dr Lawrence is chief executive officer and chairman of the boards of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc, and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. The health plan has more than 6.6 million members in 16 states and the District of Columbia and about 9,000 physicians. Before joining the organization, Lawrence, who is board certified in general preventive medicine, served as health officer and director of human services for Multnomah County, Oregon, and on the faculty of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the School of Medicine at the University of Washington, which is based in Seattle.