What characterizes managed care in a healthcare delivery system?

Managed care is characterized primarily by the management of cost, utilization, and quality of care. This approach aims to provide efficient healthcare services while ensuring that patients receive the necessary care they need in a cost-effective manner.

In a managed care system, various strategies are employed to control costs, such as negotiating rates with healthcare providers, incentivizing preventive care to avoid more costly treatments, and implementing protocols that guide healthcare providers in delivering effective and efficient care. The focus on quality ensures that patient outcomes are monitored and improved, which helps maintain a standard of care that benefits both patients and the healthcare system.

The other options do not capture the essence of managed care effectively. For example, open access to all healthcare providers is not a typical feature of managed care, as it often involves networks of providers that patients are required to use to maximize their benefits. Maximization of patient choices alongside minimal cost control contradicts the very principles of managed care, which strives to balance accessibility with cost containment. Strict regulation of medical malpractice claims is unrelated to the core characteristics of managed care, as it pertains more to legal and liability issues than to the operational and financial management of healthcare services.