[Managed care--an example for future structural developments in health care. Reflections on a informational visit on direction and administration of medical centers in east USA].

While the different national health systems merge structurally, cost expansion in health care is a global challenge. Structural reforms have been developed during recent years in the USA which can be summarized as "managed care". They are characterized by the evolution of an economically orientated system, in which units of medical therapy are generally handled like conventional economically goods. In managed-care models, patients are deliberately directed to the most economic forms of therapy. The spectrum of medical interventions as well as diagnostic or therapeutic patterns are predefined by a system of contracted guidelines, which lead to a standardization of processes. Financing and medical executive responsibilities fuse. The autonomy of medical decisions is clearly reduced to enforce and integrated and economically oriented steering of the health system. Leadership is no longer primarily confined to doctors or scientists. It is progressively shifting to financing institutions, managing directors or insurance companies. Structural changes currently are expanding rapidly in the U.S. and have meanwhile led to marked regional reductions of medical costs. Nevertheless, the US model is still far more expensive compared to the German system. Historical development, current concepts of US-managed care, its potential influence and general applicability to the German situation are discussed in an overview.