Accountable Health Care: Competing Interests, Goals and Policy Approaches

Award Year: 1994	Investigator: Marc Rodwin	Budget: $249,454	Categories: Healthcare Organization, Managed Care
Abstract: This project explores the quest for responsible health care by examining the accountability of physicians, administrators, and organizations to consumers of health care, payers, and the general public. Accountability is looked at in the context of managed care organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on examining tensions and trade-offs among competing parties, and how changes in health policy affect accountability. Dr. Rodwin clarifies the concept and use of accountability in various disciplines; describes how it became an issue in health policy and how thinking about accountability has evolved. He suggests ways to improve accountability in health care, drawing lessons from other fields, including education and law enforcement. Central to the study is a comparison of the pros and cons of five mechanisms for promoting accountability: ethics and informal norms; political voice or representation; financial controls and incentives; administrative processes; and law.