ABSTRACT
As I explore the role of interactive media in health promotion, it is important to consider the broader context of the systemic changes coming to health care as a result of this and related technologies. The focus of this chapter is to look at how interactive media will affect the healthcare balance of power in the years to come. Power, for my purposes, refers to control of decision making related to access to, and utilization of, the resources necessary to effect desired health outcomes. Balance refers to the relative weight given to the priorities of the various players in the equation--consumers, providers, payers, regulators-both in their institutional aggregations (e.g., medical practices, hospitals, managed care organizations, unions, insurance companies, licensing boards) and the individuals acting on behalf of these entities. The forces shaping the future of health care are shifting power away from the individual provider and institution toward administrative components of emerging managed care megasystems; the future, however, holds the promise of a further dramatic shift toward the consumer.
