Successful managed care: serving four masters.

Successful managed care requires serving four masters: the consumer, the employer, the hospital, and the physician. Managed care organizations that deal with these key issues effectively are more likely to achieve success (see Table 1). Managed care entities must recognize and respond to the needs of the four masters. While it is true that no one plan can provide everything for each party, each managed care entity can and should determine those aspects that are of greatest importance to them (see Table 2).