Managed care vs fee for service: is there a difference?

The growth of managed care and dental management service organizations has led to much debate over the quality of dental care delivered to patients. Quality of care is certainly an overused expression. The problem is that there is a lack of consensus on what defines quality dentistry. Recent research appears to be limited to a few outcome studies to determine the most effective treatment protocols. This article will present an uncommon perspective on whether or not there exists a difference in the quality of dentistry delivered to managed care patients versus fee-for-service patients.