MANAGED CARE AND THE INFECTIOUS-DISEASES SPECIALIST

There is growing demand to contain health care costs and to reassess t he value of medical services, The traditional hospital, academic, and research roles of the infectious disease (ID) specialist are threatene d, yet there is an increasing need for expertise because of growing an timicrobial resistance and emerging pathogens, Opportunities exist to develop and expand services for the care of patients infected with hum an immunodeficiency virus and in infection control, epidemiology, outc omes research, outpatient intravenous therapy, and resource management , It is important for ID physicians to appreciate the principles invol ved in managed care and the areas in which ID services can be valuable . To be effective, physicians need to know about tools such as practic e guidelines, physician profiling, outcomes monitoring, computerized i nformation management, risk sharing, networking, and marketing, as wel l as related legal issues. With a positive attitude toward learning, a pplication, and leadership, ID physicians can redefine their role and expand their services through managed care.