Managed health care: a concept not understood by rural Oklahomans.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to find out what people in rural Oklahoma know and understand about managed care. METHODS: A fourteen-statement survey instrument was developed. A panel of managed care professionals were asked to participate to provide a "standard" to compare the responses of the general public. The survey was administered to the general public in five rural communities and to recipients of the Oklahoma AHEC Newsletter. RESULTS: Overall, the panel tended to agree and created an industry profile useful in comparison to the responses of the general public: (1) 55-65% of the respondents answered I Don't Know or Neither Agree nor Disagree to statements using the term "managed care" and only 15-20% of the public respondents answered I Don't Know to statements not including the term, "managed care." (2) 25-30% of the general public answered in accordance with the managed care panel. (3) Over 50% of the public respondents Agreed that changes are necessary in the health sector. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this survey suggest that rural Oklahomans are uninformed about the concept of managed care and need to become better informed.