Self-Help Groups and Managed Care: Obstacles and Opportunities
Greg Meissen, Scott Wituk, Mary L. Warren, and Matthew D. Shepherd
DOI: 10.2190/HNEM-WV59-0N84-DJY7
Abstract
Managed health care has changed the way health care services are provided in the United States. Although there are several obstacles between self-help groups and managed health care, it appears there is an opportunity for self-help groups to become incorporated into the continuum of health care through managed care. A two-year project was designed to more fully include self-help groups in the health care system. Several insights regarding how to incorporate self-help groups were provided by health care representatives, including 1) broadening health care providers understanding of self-help groups, 2) researching and documenting the benefits of self-help groups, 3) promoting self-help groups, and 4) carefully selecting points of entry in the health care system. Representatives insights are described and discussed within the context of this initiative.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.