Prepaid group practice in the United States.

The characteristics of prepaid group practice in the United States are described. In this organized system of medical care, hospital use and surgical rates are significantly lower than in fee for service practice. The physician in prepaid practice has an orderly predictable professional life, is free of the usual financial concerns of medical practice, and earns an income which is on a par with the average incomes of U.S. physicians. In Canada, experience with prepaid practice has been limited; its development has been hampered by constraints emanating from universal health insurance legislation and professional opposition.