ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY-HEALTH FOCUS IN PERINATAL NURSING PRACTICE WITHIN A CAPITATED ENVIRONMENT

In this article, a model of care delivery is proposed that establishes a framework for meeting the health care needs of urban-dwelling women and children by organizing nursing care providers in a variety of delivery systems to balance access, quality, and cost. The program, intended as a component of an integrated health care network, illustrates the potential for nursing to assume a dominant role in providing health care services to a high-risk, high-cost population within a capitated environment.