Network Providers

Network Providers is a term usually associated with managed care plans such as health maintenance organizations (HMO), preferred provider organizations (PPO), and point of service (POS) health insurance plans.  Companies offering managed care programs recruit physicians, hospitals, and laboratories to participate in their network.  This allows the insurance company, and the network, to establish standard fees for services.

This also means each insurance company will have a different list of network providers, and the company's network may even change slightly with each managed care plan.  When presented with a choice of medical plans, the participant will usually search each company's list of care providers to see if their existing physicians are participating in the network.