shape up, 1  to assume a specific form: The plan is beginning to shape up. 2  to evolve or develop, especially favorably. 3  to improve one's behavior or performance to meet a required standard. 4  to get oneself into good physical condition. ( 5 of longshoremen) to get into a line or formation in order to be assigned the day's work.
The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a broad overview of managed care, including the scope and complexity of the issues facing nurses and consumers as the health care industry continues to consolidate and shift away from traditional fee-for-service financing.
medical Definition of managed care : a system of providing health care (as by an HMO or a PPO) that is designed to control costs through managed programs in which the physician accepts constraints on the amount charged for medical care and the patient is limited in the choice of a physician