Which of the following represents a key topic in healthcare during the late 1990s?

The emergence of managed care models for healthcare delivery is indeed a key topic in healthcare during the late 1990s. During this period, the healthcare landscape was significantly influenced by the shift towards managed care as a way to control costs and improve efficiency in healthcare services. Managed care organizations emerged to oversee and coordinate a wide range of healthcare services, emphasizing preventive care and the management of patient health.

This focus on managed care was driven by rising healthcare costs and the need for more sustainable healthcare financing. Initiatives were increasingly directed at reducing unnecessary medical expenses while ensuring that patients had access to necessary services, reflecting a transformation in how healthcare was delivered and financed.

In contrast, while electronic health records began to gain traction later, their widespread national implementation did not occur until the 2000s. The comprehensive regulation of pharmaceuticals, while important, became more prominent in discussions around patient safety and drug pricing, particularly in following decades. The expansion of Medicare benefits to all citizens is not an accurate depiction of healthcare developments in the late 1990s, as Medicare has traditionally been aimed at those over 65 or with specific disabilities, and significant expansions did not occur during that period.