The quality care cycle.

This paper describes an HMO--US Healthcare--which is based on a philosophy of quality-based managed health care. The paper shows how an individual patient interacts with the cycle of care in terms of risk evaluation, health education and prevention, diagnosis, treatment, referral, case management, and outcome. Other components of the cycle of care include primary certification and recertification of providers, criteria for procedure and site appropriateness, and evaluation of the professional qualifications of providers.