Book Description

The rapid pace of change in the healthcare industry is creating turbulence for just about everyone. For consumers, affordable access to quality healthcare is an issue of primary importance. For employers, health benefits have grown to be an alarmingly large component of their compensation packages. For physicians and other healthcare providers, practice management has become increasingly demanding. Each of this set's three volumes untangles the complexity, provides answers to knotty questions, and points the way toward better healthcare for all. Features include commentary, prescriptions, and insights from leaders in the healthcare industry, including physicians, attorneys, administrators, educators, and business consultants. The result: a landmark set filled with provocative analysis and practical recommendations destined to improve the delivery of healthcare. The rapid pace of change in the healthcare industry is creating turbulence for just about everyone. For consumers, affordable access to quality healthcare is an issue of primary importance. For employers, health benefits have grown to be an alarmingly large component of their compensation packages. For physicians and other healthcare providers, practice management has become increasingly demanding. Complexity is the rule, thanks to government regulations and insurer requirements, the expansion of technology in everything from diagnosis to records, and the desire of policymakers and others to have a say in how healthcare is delivered and to whom. The Business of Healthcare provides Rx to these and other challenges in three volumes: Volume 1: Practice Management Volume 2: Leading Healthcare Organizations Volume 3: Improving Systems of Care. Each volume features commentary and insights from leaders in the healthcare industry, including physicians, attorneys, administrators, educators, and business consultants. The result: a landmark set filled with provocative analysis and practical recommendations destined to improve the delivery of healthcare. The Business of Healthcare presents ideas and information that until now have been sequestered in a variety of professional journals and books, in isolation from each other. For the first time, healthcare professionals, consumers, scholars, students, and policymakers alike will have access to the same body of information about a critical sector of the economy-one that represents 15 percent of the U.S. national GDP, consumes 10 percent of federal government spending, and employs twelve million people. This three-volume set will address the current debates that are determining the future course of the industry. Volume 1: Practice Management: Physicians are beginning to realize that, in addition to providing health care, they are owners and managers of multi-million dollar enterprises. Unfortunately, most have not received formal training in the skills needed to operate such a business. In this volume, experts will present practical advice for physicians (as well as their practice managers and staff) to improve operations. Topics include: *The opportunities and challenges of solo practice. *The logistics of joining and leaving a physician practice. *Performance management in physician practices. *Creating a culture of accountability in physician practices. *Managing difficult and disruptive physicians. *Developing and promoting a physician practice. *Internet marketing of physician practices. *The potential benefits and implementation roadblocks of pay for performance. *Accounts receivable management in hospital and physician practices. *The future of the physician practice. Volume 2: Leading Healthcare Organizations: Whether running their own practice or working as a part of a larger organization, health professionals are being called upon to provide leadership—something more important than ever in health care, where some sectors of the industry are in turmoil, while others are being transformed entirely. This volume will offer insights into the changing role of leadership throughout an organization, and describe how health professionals can exert their influence to effect positive change. Topics covered include: *Perspectives on leading complex healthcare delivery systems. *Mending the gap between practicing physicians and hospital executives. *The physician's role on the hospital board, and a blueprint for success. *The impact of biotechnology advances on healthcare delivery. *The impact of informatics on healthcare delivery. *The next frontier in addressing clinical hospital supply costs. *Liability risk management: Saving money and relationships. *Pastoral medicine: The impact of pastoral care. *The role of complementary and alternative medicine in healthcare today. Volume 3: Improving Systems of Care : This volume explores the current state of health care, and it describes the critical issues that must be resolved in the short run and the long run to ensure that the industry provides the value that the public both demands and deserves. Topics include: *Quality in healthcare: concepts and practice. *Adapting proven aviation safety tools to healthcare: Improving healthcare by changing the safety culture. *Introduction to healthcare information technology. *Market dynamics and financing strategies in the development of medical technologies. *An innovative service delivery model for specialized care. *The impact of healthcare on the US economy. *Improving systems of care: a patient's perspective. *The cost of end-of-life care. *Building the bridge between business and medicine. Better, more efficient healthcare is not just possible but needed more than ever. The Business of Health Care will help lead the way toward a healthier, happier society.