Future changes in patient care to curb costs and refocus on health versus medical care are discussed, and efforts at the New England Medical Center (NEMC) to measure patient outcomes and reorganize the delivery of care are described. Medical care is not the only determinant of an individual's health; lifestyle choices and the community also play important roles. The rate of increase in the cost of medical care must be contained. The future of health-care reform will be predicated on packages for the administration of care; for any given condition, all of the elements of medical care would be combined so that clinical and functional outcomes are achieved at a given price (episode-of-illness pricing). The success of medical care should be determined on the basis of the patient's ability to function, not on clinical indicators alone. Also, the prices for new generations of drugs should be determined on whether the new drugs improve patients' quality of life. Health-care professionals in hospitals should not be divided according to their specialties; instead, they should compose multidisciplinary teams that can care for patients over time. NEMC is developing a process and structure in which various health-care professionals work together to design health-care plans that cover a full episode of illness. The future of health care will also be influenced by global trends, including international medical-care inflation, standardization of process and outcome measurements, and a shift in emphasis from medicine to health. The health-care industry is in transition as this country searches for the best way to improve the health and functioning of each citizen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)