Managed care organizations are paving the way to the future of health care delivery in the United States and countries around the world. As managed care systems evolve, a major concern is quality. Managed Care Quality: A Practical Guide is a collection of applications and experiences gathered from practicing health professionals in the field of managed care. This first how to guide was written to help managed care organizations meet the common objective of ensuring the best quality of services and care. Managed Care Quality: A Practical Guide presents successive steps in implementing quality in health care organizations. It introduces the methods, skills, and practices involved in quality health care programs and offers solutions to problems typically encountered in managed care.Managed Care: An Introduction, R. Edwards Historical Evolution of Managed Care Quality, A.F. Al-Assaf The Concept of Health Care Quality, A.F. Al-Assaf Perceptions of Quality in Managed Care: Defining and Improving Providers' Performance and Quality, P. Mosca Implementing Quality in Managed Health Care, A.F. Al-Assaf Quality Assurance Activities, D. Zaenger and A.F. Al-Assaf Monitoring of Quality, D.W. Bratzler Quality Improvement Activities, J. Reinke Quality Improvement in Managed Care: Using Preventative Medicine Guidelines, D. Stewart Institutionalization of Health Care Quality, A.F. Al-Assaf Balancing Quality with Costs in a Managed Care Setting, J. Benneyan and V. Valdmanis Managed Care Accreditations and Certifications, W.P. Gideon Alternative Quality Management Strategies in Managed Care, A. Ghosh Quality Excellence Awards, T. Brown and S. Hopkins