As the past decade has watched managed care establish itself in the healthcare marketplace, this form of insurance has become the sole option for many healthcare consumers. Due to the advent and supplemental growth of managed care, it has become essential for consumers to be aware of their rights.

The 1980 revision of the principles of medical ethics as set forth by the American Medical Association marked the first time that patient’s rights were recognized. Today, the rights of healthcare consumers deserve recognition. These rights have been set forth in a variety of bills and forms of legislation. This site will guide the consumer to such documentation so that they may be aware of their rights and are thus able to make more informed decisions when it comes to their healthcare options.

Listed below are some very informative sites and documentation on the above. Brief descriptions are attached to each site and document. In addition, the sites here are rated using between one [*] and four [****] stars based on the usefulness of the site content and the ease of site navigation.
 
 
 
 

1. State of New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services ****


Extremely useful to the healthcare consumer who wants to be able to access current information on healthcare in the state of New Jersey. The site is easy to navigate and covers all aspects of healthcare, including the most current Press Releases. The links clearly pave the way to sections on consumer’s rights. These rights are most easily accessed through the HMO and the Laws and Regulations links.
 
 

2. President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry ***


Presents the Advisory Commission’s Final Report and makes use of links that tell About the Site, Meetings, Commission Membership, Press Releases, Charter, and Comments. Ease of navigation is not difficult although not all pages were readily available because the site was in the process of relocating to a new server.
 
 

3. Center for Patient Advocacy ****


Represents patient’s interests nationwide and allows the user to sign the patient’s petition for managed care reform. Other links enable the user to Become a Member of the Center for Patient Advocacy, tell About the Center, and discuss a variety of healthcare issues. The user can even Request Printed Materials, if desired. The links are numerous and provide a wealth of useful information for the healthcare consumer. Ease of navigation in this site is excellent.
 
 

4. Empower! The Managed care Patient Advocate **


Intended to ‘empower’ the managed care consumer whereby users can browse Articles and Commentaries and participate in an Interactive Forum revolving around managed care issues. This site included a Patient Satisfaction Database and Links to other Websites. Ease of navigation is not perfect but the information found here is extremely useful.
 
 

5. NCQA National Committee for Quality Assurance ****

1. HMO Consumer Bill of Rights


Accessible thought the [State of] New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Web Page, this bill lists the rights of each New Jersey HMO member, as listed each year on the New Jersey HMO report card.
 
 

2. Consumers’ Guide to Quality Health Care


Set forth by Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound and lists a total of fifteen questions which consumers should ask of all health plans so that they are informed when making even the simplest healthcare decisions, such as choosing a physician or a hospital.
 
 

3. Managed Care Bill of Rights: Observed in the Breach [12-07-97]


Article which discusses how ‘The Managed care Bill of Rights is observed in the breach,’ according to Mark Green, public advocate for New York City. The article was written as studies have shown that companies have withheld facts from healthcare recipients, making it even more difficult for many to navigate the managed care system.
 
 

4. Consumers’ Bill of Rights and Responsibilities


Found in the President’s Advisory Committee on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry Web site, this includes the preamble, executive summary, and complete report on the Consumers’ Bill of Rights and Responsibilities as prepared by the Advisory Committee.
 
 

5. Managed Care: Who’s the Customer?

• Managed Care: The Appeals Process
• Patient Choice
• Managed Care Site for Consumers
• Patient Choice Under Managed Care
• Pharmocoeconomics and Managed Care