Enthoven slams Porter, consumer-directed care

A new article by Stanford economist Alain Enthoven and Kaiser Permanente Research Institute's Laura Tollens in this month's Health Affairs argues that integrating delivery systems to help share medical information and empower multi-disciplinary teams will improve patient care and significantly reduce healthcare costs.

Enthoven, the theorist behind "managed competition," which was the basis for some of the Clinton health plan, shows that the types of care coordination seen in large multi-specialty groups are necessary for care of the chronically ill. Competition at the "disease" level, or at the individual doctor or provider level (as advocated by Michael Porter, Regina Herzlinger and many consumer directed health care advocates), is likely to be counter-productive and ineffective. As the consumer and HSA movement gains force, expect more arguments opposing them from managed care advocates.

- see this press release from Stanford University

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