Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Managed Care
Managed care plans are a type of health insurance. They have contracts with health care providers and medical facilities to provide care for members at reduced costs. These providers make up the plan's network. How much of your care the plan will pay for depends on the network's rules.
Plans that restrict your choices usually cost you less. If you want a flexible plan, it will probably cost more. There are three types of managed care plans:
- Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) usually only pay for care within the network. You choose a primary care doctor who coordinates most of your care.
- Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) usually pay more if you get care within the network. They still pay part of the cost if you go outside the network.
- Point of Service (POS) plans let you choose between an HMO or a PPO each time you need care.
It sits within Health System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Managed Care
2,733 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Advancing Diabetes Management for People With Physical Disabilities Optimally Through Primary Care-Based Telehealth (ADDOPT)University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Housing Transitions QUERIVA Office of Research and Development
- Telehealth Specialty Concussion Treatment for YouthUniversity of Rhode Island
- VictORION-INCLUSION: Evaluating Inclisiran for Cholesterol Managment in Heart DiseaseDuke University
- Living With Multimorbidity: Care Coordination and Symptom Management Program (COORDINATE)Johns Hopkins University
- Hospital @ Home Model of Care for CirrhosisIndiana University
Research already completed
- Short-Term Symptom Changes in Adults With Teeth Clenching or Grinding and Jaw Symptoms Receiving Splint, Botulinum Toxin, or Medication Plus Splint CareRecep Tayyip Erdogan University
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Agitation in Dementia (AD)Brent Forester
- Structured Nursing Education for Hemodialysis PatientsSinop University
- Clean Hands Accessible and Manageable for Patients (CHAMPs)Case Western Reserve University
- Improving Communication About Pain and OpioidsUniversity of California, Davis
- ECM and Monitoring w/ Alio Smart Patch in Cancer Pts Receiving ChemotherapyCase Comprehensive Cancer Center
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Learn More
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Special Needs Plans (SNP)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Women's Preventive Services GuidelinesHealth Resources and Services Administration
- Your Health Plan Options (Medicare Advantage Plans)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Managed Care Programs. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Managed Care, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.