In which of the following managed care organization (MCO) plans can the MCO lose a large number of physicians if a contract with a physician group is lost?

• A. Staff model HMO
• B. Point-of-service (POS) plan
• C. Group model HMO
• D. Network model HMO

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the structure of different Managed Care Organization (MCO) plans, focusing on how physicians are contracted and organized within each model.
2. Recognize that in a Staff model HMO, physicians are typically employed directly by the HMO, so losing a contract with an external physician group is less relevant.
3. Note that in a Point-of-Service (POS) plan, patients can choose providers outside the network, so the impact of losing a single physician group contract is diluted.
4. In a Group model HMO, the HMO contracts with a single physician group to provide services, so losing that group means losing all physicians in that group, but this is limited to one group.
5. In a Network model HMO, the HMO contracts with multiple physician groups forming a network; losing a contract with one large group can result in losing a large number of physicians, making this model most vulnerable to such losses.