Insurance Industry: “Only a naive or novice manager would put quality of care as his first priority.”
July 12,2009 
By Ben Cohen
A reader writes in response to my post on the Bill Moyers interview with Wendell Potter:
For two years I directed a free-standing mental
health clinic providing the psychological services for a CIGNA HMO. We
varied in profitability from 23% to 29%. When I sent a memo to my regional
director regarding my priorities for the clinic, I received a memo back stating
"Only a naive or novice manager would put quality of care as his first
priority." There you go.
By Ben Cohen
A reader writes in response to my post on the Bill Moyers interview with Wendell Potter:
For two years I directed a free-standing mental
health clinic providing the psychological services for a CIGNA HMO. We
varied in profitability from 23% to 29%. When I sent a memo to my regional
director regarding my priorities for the clinic, I received a memo back stating
"Only a naive or novice manager would put quality of care as his first
priority." There you go.