Book Description

This much anticipated new edition of Health Care Economics continues its legacy as a leader in its field.Written by a distinguished economist and educator, the sixth edition maintains the books analytical approach in its treatment of political economics.Through comprehensive discussions, appendices, tables and figures, the author consistently illustrates the value of economics in understanding public policy issues that affect the medical services sector. Both veterans in the field of economics and readers who are new to this area of study will appreciate the books in-depth and straightforward treatment of important topics. ... Read more

Book Description

Health and Health Care 2010, Second Edition, offers well-researched coverage of health insurance, managed care, health care providers, the health workforce, medical technologies, information technologies, consumerism, public health services, mental health, child health, health of the elderly, chronic care, and health behaviors, and more. Each of the volume's topics starts with historical background leading into the contemporary setting and is followed with predicted short-term developments and forecasts reaching to the year 2010. Acknowledging the difficulty of long-term predictions, even by experts, the projections are cast as "stormy," "long and winding," or "sunny."

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Reviews (1)

Thoughts on Health and Health Care 2010
This is a very interesting prediction of what health care may hold for us this decade. I enjoyed reading forecasts of what the population will be like and their lifestyles, as well as buying habits. Health careers that will be booming were discussed as well as what medical advances will flourish. I found it interesting that this publication does not really predict a nursing shortage as everyone else is predicting. The discussion of insurance plan growth and changes was less interesting to this reader but necessary. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This book will not get you there
This book is written as the product of an Institute of Medicine initiative to reduce the mortality and morbidity from errors in the American healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine is a private organization created by congressional charter to advise the federal government on specific matters. Their mission statement is to "advance and disseminate knowledge to improve human health." This book is the final report of the Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America. Their homepage is available by searching the Internet using the full committee name. Membership of the committee and sponsors of the project are available at that web site.

The format of the book is to present evidence for quality problems in healthcare in America and make recommendations. The operational definition of quality used in the book is "The degree to which health care services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." There are thirteen recommendations presented initially and are discussed in relevant chapters. The recommendations vary in scope from suggesting that multiple parties need to be committed to quality as a way to decrease the burden of disease to suggestions that specific agencies fund pilot studies to look at how reimbursement can be aligned with quality. Six major parameters are discussed as guiding quality and it is suggested that 15 specific conditions be a focus for improving quality.

There is no difficulty in identifying literature studies that demonstrate quality problems in hospital and clinical populations. A survey of current research is included in Appendix A. A review of the tables in this appendix show the types of quality markers that are typically studied in the literature. The authors make the argument that errors due to quality lapses or deficiencies need to be actively worked on and that the current high error rates are not acceptable. Health care has become a major political issue and the political factions are shaping up to be government and business on one side and physicians and other health care providers on the other. There has been a major revamping of the health care system in the past decade to control costs. That required the active cooperation of the insurance industry and government. There is still medical inflation and limited access with 40 million Americans uninsured. Should we believe that another cooperative effort between industry and government will improve quality any more than it has controlled cost or improved access?

The authors acknowledge weaknesses in their suggestions about changing the face of American medicine, but they minimize the adverse impact of the current funding mechanisms for medical care and the issue of information systems integration and security. A good example can be found in their application of engineering principles to clinical settings - - where teams see patients for four hours of direct contact time and the remaining time is for documentation and returning calls. That plan would not be economically feasible in many settings. The high cost and lack of flexibility of the current reimbursement schemes are not mentioned as a potential reason why these plans won't work.

Information technology is seen as a way to enhance both productivity and safety. The authors suggest that e-mail can lead to productive exchanges between physicians and patients. Many physicians have been doing this for years. Many have also stopped with the advent of security concerns about medical privacy. With larger IT systems the critical issue is backward compatability with older systems. That usually requires custom designs that are extremely expensive. Those problems usually need to be solved before bedside computing and decision support can be developed. Security is acknowledged as a problem that needs to be solved. In spite of a federal initiative in this area, the important precedent to remember is how the financial privacy of Americans was protected. The authors point out that medical privacy requirements need to be more stringent than other industries. At the same time they point out that some opinions suggest that there is a trade off between privacy protections and the need to advance information technology in health care. If they are suggesting that the Internet should be at the heart of this infrastructure and the Internet is not secure, what does that mean?

A practical approach might be to focus on the areas where data is entered into computer systems and make sure that non-human analysis occurs at those levels. For example, all hospitals enter pharmacy orders into computer systems. Many hospitals require that physicians write separate discharge orders. Both of these points are areas where there could be immediate improvements in accuracy. A focused study and solution could be engineered now. The necessary software and hardware requirements could be placed on a central web site and available for download by hospital and clinic IT staff. Existing reviewers could be charged with documenting the baseline level of errors and the degree of improvement.

This book succeeds as a broad survey of what has been done about quality in certain settings. It contains some interesting ideas about what can possibly be accomplished by applying conceptual advances from other fields. It does not discuss the significant drawbacks of evidence based medicine. It lacks a practical plan for transitioning to a new system and in effect creates a new chasm. With a work like this, whether you like the conclusions depends a lot on your interpretation of the evidence and your personal experience. As a practicing physician and a previous quality reviewer I have significant areas of disagreement with what is presented in this book. Areas of controversy are not elaborated upon. I suppose you could say that level of analysis is not required, but recommendations about the future of health care in America should at least meet the criteria of "evidence based" and all the evidence should be discussed.

George Dawson, MD

Essential Reading for Everyone in Health Care
If you are in anyway involved in health care, this is essential reading. Physicians, hospital administrators, purchasers, health plan execs, and grad students must immediately put this on the top of their reading list. Lives may depend on it.

In it, the highly respected Institute of Medicine builds a powerful case for how the current health care system is severely broken and how it has produced a "chasm" between what we known must be done for patients (based on current science of medicine) and what is actually done. The information conveyed is shocking but true. Even more importantly, the Institute gives us a plan for building a new, more accountable quality-driven approach to health care.

Read it and perhaps you too will be motivated to take action to improve health care delivery in America. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether at the federal, state, or local level, governments formulate, implement, and constantly modify their health policies within an intricately choreographed policymaking process. With clear explanations and examples, this book illuminates the policymaking process and provides insight into the future of U.S. health policy. New features of the second edition include thorough updating, along with: * A new chapter on policy outcomes * Case studies to illustrate key concepts * Discussion questions at the end of each chapter * References to informative Web sites * An appendix of annotated U.S. federal laws pertaining to health ... Read more

Book Description

Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems, Fourth Edition continues to be the definitive guide to contemporary health administration. It provides comprehensive coverage of detailed functional, technical, and organizational matters that pertain to organized delivery systems. It also extensively covers matters that relate to hospitals and functions that occur at the hospital level. With revisions that reflect the emerging issues in health care, this classic text is a must-have for both health administration students and professionals. ... Read more

Book Description

NHS R&D Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Oxford, U.K. Pocket-sized volume on EBM, the practice of integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available research and external evidence. For clinicians at all levels. U.K. perspective. Plastic cover. Trim size: 7.25 x 4.25 inches. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The standard for teaching EBM
As a physician-teacher of EBM to internal medicine residents, this is the best book I've run across for this purpose. We utilize the reader's guides, first published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and later in JAMA, written by Guyatt, Sackett, and others, which are perfectly complemented by this volume. I recommend it to all of the residents and have purchased multiple copies for house staff use (although I can't seem to keep them on the shelf...) It makes learning EBM fun and highlights its usefulness and, most importantly for busy physicians, speed. Worth reading for every physician interested in practicing medicine based on only the best evidence.

Concise and precise
Concise and precise- just what the busy clinician wants to see. And for whoever needs more info, there is an extra CD Rom that preovides just that. Few medical books had more impact on my professional behavior than this one. Buy it, read it, and follow its advise!

Not bad, not bad at all.
Dr. Sackett's book is a well thought out review of evidence-based medicine (EBM), and is the source of what seems to be the most often noted definition of EBM. This is a must-have reference for those interested in evidence-based action (which applies to much more than just medicine). However, according to Sackett's own definition, this edition is getting a little long in the tooth. He also follows a pretty classical approach to the logic of rational decision making, which may or may not suit the reader.

Smashing!
Short and concise, this book really excels at demystifying EBM and making it easier (and more importantly, fun!). The use of flash cards for summarising points is great, and it's clear that the authors are enjoying themselves teaching EBM. This honestly is the first medical book that I'd classify as 'un-putdownable'!

Fine Primer
This well done book is partly an introduction to teaching/practicing Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)and partly an act of evangelism. The authors are concerned not only with describing the basic methods of EBM but also with convincing readers that this is the appropriate way to practice and teach clinical medicine. EBM and its precursor movements are based on the correct realization that physicians tend not to be very critical about clinical practice, much of which is learned by emulation. This book builds on an existing movement and the presence of widely available online resources to tap into appropriate critical evaluations of clinical practice. In doing so, the authors attempt to educate physicians about how to use these resources, relatively simple statistical tools that can be incorporated into application of good clinical literature to practice, and how to teach these methods. Because the authors are academics who wish to influence medical education, there is a good deal of emphasis on educational methods. While this may be an apparent short coming for readers who are not academics, it is actually worthwhile for all physicians because self-education is a constant part of our job. This book is very well done with some nice features. It is small and has a durable plastic cover, designed to carried in pockets or in a medical bag, there is a small CD with good examples, and a set of plasticized flash cards on major key points. Drawbacks are relatively minor. More information on how to analyze clinical trials and studies would be useful but in a concise book, something has to give way. Used carefully, the information in this book may change your practice and teaching methods. ... Read more

Book Description

This innovative new text provides a current, comprehensive introduction to principles applied in the practice of epidemiology in public health. It incorporates modern ideas in epidemiological thinking that have been largely omitted in other textbooks, providing an overview that is up-to-date and thorough. Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health will familiarize readers with terminology and key concepts in the design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiological research, giving students the tools they need to critically evaluate scientific literature.

Successfully tested in the authors' courses at Boston University and Harvard University for five years, this text combines theory and practice in presenting traditional and new epidemiologic concepts. Broad in scope, the text opens with five chapters covering the basic epidemiologic concepts and data sources. A major emphasis is placed on study design, with separate chapters devoted to each of the three main analytic designs: experimental, cohort, and case-control studies.

Full chapters on bias, confounding, and random error, including the roll of statistics in epidemiology, ensure that students are well-equipped with the necessary information to interpret the results of epidemiologic studies. An entire chapter is also devoted to the concept of effect measure modification, an often-neglected topic in introductory textbooks. Up-to-date examples from the epidemiologic literature on diseases of public health importance are provided throughout the book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

At last, a good intro to epi book for students!
This book is an excellent introduction to epidemiology. The authors present epidemiologic concepts in an easy-to-understand manner with interesting supportive examples from the fields of reproductive health and HIV epidemiology. In addition to the standard chapters on study design, bias, and confounding, the book also includes very good chapters on measurement error, causation, and screening, as well as tried-and-proven guidelines for a critical review of epidemiologic studies. This text should be very helpful to beginning masters and doctoral students in epidemiology and public health. ... Read more

Book Description

LEADERSHIP

Theory and Practice, Second Edition

By PETER G. NORTHOUSE, Western Michigan University

Expanded and updated, the second edition of this best-selling text, like the first, reviews and analyzes the foremost leadership theories, giving special attention to how each theoretical approach can be applied in real-world organizations. Entirely new to the second edition is a chapter on Leadership Ethics, added by the author to address the growing level of concern in society with the ethical behavior of leaders in both the public and private sectors. For anyone seeking to explore how an understanding of leadership theory can inform and direct the way leadership is practiced, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, is a valuable tool. Adopted as a textbook at over 250 colleges and universities, this best-selling volume is equally useful for private-sector leadership development training programs.

Describing and analyzing the nine major theoretical approaches to leadership, each chapter of Leadership: Theory and Practice includes: a discussion of the strengths and criticisms of the specific leadership approach described, which assists the reader in determining the merits of each approach; an application section that discusses the practical aspects of the approach and how it can be used in today’s organizational settings; three case studies, with follow-up questions for illustrating common leadership issues and dilemmas; and a questionnaire-type instrument designed to assist the reader in gaining a better understanding of his or her leadership style.

NEW FEATURES OF THE SECOND EDITION:

- An additional chapter on Leadership Ethics written to address an increased level of concern among both students and practitioners on this timely topic, including descriptions of ethical theories and an analysis of five principles of ethical leadership-respect, service, justice, honesty, and community.

- An entirely new chapter on Women in Leadership, including a new Gender Consciousness Questionnaire that allows readers to assess their own attitudes about gender issues in the workplace

- A complete Instructor’s Manual with chapter overviews, lists of concepts and terms, questions for study and discussion, activities for use in class, writing assignments, and a test bank of true and false and multiple choice questions

- The same user-friendly, chapter-consistent format as the First Edition, with each chapter examining a specific leadership approach, including its strengths and weaknesses, its application, three case studies of each approach, and approach-specific instruments and/or questionnaires

- Comprehensive updates and additions incorporating recent advances in scholarship in the field as well as suggestions from classroom use at the over 250 colleges and universities where the First Edition was adopted.

Reviews (7)

For practical use by any aspiring or practicing leader
Now in its third edition, Leadership Theory And Practice by Peter G. Northouse (Professor of Communication, Western Michigan University) examines the foremost leadership theories with particular attention as to how each approach can be directly applied to real-world situations and organizations. Exploring basic approaches (as well as theories such as the Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Theory, Leader-Member Exchange Theory), and then expanding beyond methodology to scrutinize such topics as leadership ethics and the barriers unique to women in (or who are seeking) leadership positions, Leadership Theory And Practice is very highly recommended -- whether for both academic study concerning leadership behavior and concrete, or for practical use by any aspiring or practicing leader in the business community today.

Very Thoughtful
I feel the text is easy to read. It hightlights the areas and explains them very well. It is understandable and does not skirt issues etc. I would recommend for a great text on leadership.

A thorough overview
Easy to read and well reserached college text.

Crtical Evaluation of LEADERSHIP
The author fails to recognize the relation of leaders to the structure of society (persons, families and bureaucracies) as well as all the general roles played within families (leader, manager, entrepreneur and apprentice). Leaders along with members of their families play all these roles with varying degrees of responsibility. While he does recognize that leaders exercise power, he goes on to highlite coercion which is only one and the least used of three tools of power and fails to identify the foundation of power.Finally his subtopics lack
logic and his case studies are exercises in management and not leadership. This introduction to leadership has a very limited scope without an apparent logic.

Much stronger on Theory than actual Practice.
Despite its subtitle, "Leadership: Theory & Practice" emphasizes the former much more than the latter. Scholars of leadership looking for theoretical exegeses & interpretive typologies may find what they're seeking in Northouse's analysis. Leadership practitioners (or high school educators, like me) may find less useful grist for their mills here. I appreciated many of the instruments Northouse cites here for assessing different aspects of leadership. But I found little spark here to distinguish "Leadership" from the quotidian genre of introductory college textbooks. ... Read more

Book Description

Health Policy: Crisis and Reform in the U.S. Health Care Delivery System, Fourth Edition focuses on the health policy and financing issues that health professionals and nurses need to know. Starting with issues of health status of the population and vulnerable groups, this important new book details issues of race, socioeconomics, gender, mental health, homelessness, older women, and social inequality. The emphasis is on the lack of access to care for millions of people who are uninsured or underinsured. This fourth edition expands on the information from previous editions and covers the recent changes in health policy that impact Medicaid, Medicare, managed care, and private health insurance. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is the exciting new edition everyone has been waiting for! Look to Managed Care: What It Is and How It Works, Second Edition, to provide you with a solid grounding and clear understanding of managed health care. This completely updated and revised new edition is by the foremost authority in the managed care industry, Dr. Peter Kongstvedt. Managed Care: What It Is and How It Works is enhanced with learning objectives at the beginning of every chapter and an extensive glossary of key managed health care terms. It is written in clear and concise fundamental terms, beginning with an historical overview of managed care, to organizational structures, concepts, and practices of the managed care industry. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

...covers the basics in an understandable and logical order.
The book covers the basics in an understandable and logical order...it is well-organized and complete. Chapter 3, The Infrastructure of Managed Care, is very interesting and informative - is very good at describing how managed care organizations do what they do. Chapter 4, Provider Networks, and Chapter 5, Purchasers and Managed Care, are very good chapters with good descriptions of provider networks and purchasing arrangements. (Reviewed by Bernard J. Turnock, MD, MPH, Professor and Director of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago.)

...well thought out and easy to read.
The content of the book overall is well thought out and easy to read. Chapter 1, The Evolution of Managed Care, is an excellent chapter. The Medicaid and Medicare sections of Chapter 5 are excellent. Chapter, 7, Quality of Care, is an excellent chapter--one of the best on quality I've read. (reviewed by Carmella M. Sebastian, MD, Senior Medical Director, First Priority Health, The Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania HMO) ... Read more

Book Description

Essentials of Physician Practice Management offers a practical reference for administrators and medical directors and provides a comprehensive text for those preparing for a career in medical administration, practice management, and health plan administration. Essentials of Physician Practice Management is filled with valuable insights into every aspect of medical practice management including operations, financial management, strategic planning, regulation and risk management, human resources, and community relations. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Outstanding Biostatistics Book for the Non-statistician
I was delighted to discover this book four years ago, when I began teaching a course in clinical research methods. I have not seen anything else like the text or the optional companion software by GraphPad. The textbook is extremely well-written and well-organized. Not only have I been using the book and software in my teaching, but I have found that they handle about 90% of my own statistical needs for my research.

The author's philosophy (to forget the fancy stuff since the vast majority of applications don't require it) and the way it is implemented (with just enough theory to protect users from making false inferences) are exactly right. Dr. Motulsky has done a a superb job.

Excellent non-mathematical overview
Dr. Motulsky does an excellent job of introducing statistical concepts through examples and direct applications. Where this book is especially valuable is in keeping things simple -- without the intimidating mathematical notation -- while providing examples of where statistics can be used to measure the wrong things or present results that do not make sense in the context of what the researcher is investigating.

My favorite example illustrates how a stastical analysis of a new test that identifies those susceptible to a fatal disease "shows" an increase in the average lifespan of both populations (those who suffer the disease and those who don't). The reality, of course, is no one is living longer because of the test, but rather the population sampled is different. Brilliant and concise.

Although the text is targeted towards those in the bioinformatic and medical vocations, it's useful beyond that because the presentation of concepts is practical and yet without the notation.

excellent introduction to biostatistics
I used this book when writing a manuscript for publication. I stumbled across the author's web site, and found his approach remarkably useful. The book is clear and concise. It encompasses all general statistical methods needed for biomedical publishing for both basic and clinical research. It serves as an indespensible introduction for those, who like me, either never understood biostats as taught in medical school or who have not used these skills often enough to develop adequate familiarity with the methods and their application. Highly recommended.

ACCESSIBLE
I am very grateful that a professor of mine used this book for her class...I had flipped thru other stats books prior to taking her class, and the contents of those other books looked all too similar to the mathematics books that had tortured me for years.
Intuitive Biostatistics is actually enjoyable to read, and it usually teaches at a pace that is reasonable. Many of the examples were quite relevant to my area of study - Nutrition.
Wish more texts were like this one.

Priceless resource for my Prelims!
This book was an excellent choice for me to help review biostats for my prelims! Yes, although it doesn't focus on details of the more advanced statistical analyses, it does offer a common sense approach to data analysis. The assumptions for each test are clearly delineated, and the table at the back of the book is a quick reference for choosing tests based on what type of data you have. This is the ONLY biostatistics book I have read cover to cover. ... Read more

Book Description

Health Economics and Policy is a basic introduction to the microeconomics of health, health care, and health policy. This edition demonstrates how economic principles apply to health-related issues. It explains the social, political, and economic contexts of health care delivery and explores the changing nature of health care. Students learn to analyze public policy from an economic perspective. While the text was written for non-economics majors, it includes enough economic content to challenge majors. ... Read more

Book Description

The symbiotic roles of leadership and management are examined inthis second edition. Their interdependent relationship is definedthrough explanation of the leadership components and managementfunctions inherent in all phases of the management process. Byintegrating theory with application, the authors present a strongleadership foundation with emphasis on problem solving and decisionmaking. Learning exercises throughout allow immediate application andreinforcement to make learning exciting. New elements include: morecase studies that are community-based; transformational leadership andnursing care delivery systems; communication patterns; and timemanagement and setting priorities. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Practical Approaches to Leadership Theory
I have reviewed many excellent texts on nursing leadership and management, but I have never found one that so clearly outlined the theory and then provided cutting edge practical tools for distinctive problems. I had utilized a more simplistic text for community college registered nurse students, but when I presented one of the practical tools described in this book to my students, they said now this is really worthwhile learning. They liked the decision making tool that I described to them. The book should be a must for the bachelor's prepared nurse. I personally feel managers can utilize this book to increase their leadership skills. I personally am buying my own copy for my current management job. ... Read more

Book Description

Motivated by business pressures, market consolidation, and the pursuit of quality care, health care professionals in all areas of practice are beginning to explore more fully the tremendous potential of disease management— a systemwide strategy for proactively managing chronic diseases across the entire continuum of care. Disease Management is the first book to bring together systems thinking and organizational structure in a framework for designing, developing, and implementing a comprehensive health management system. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive critical appraisal tool examines the roles of research in nursing, the processes of qualitative and quantitative research, the application and analysis of nursing research, and evidence-based practice. Interactive learning aids throughout the book, such as research articles, critical thinking challenges, and critiquing criteria, help readers master important material and learn to apply the principles of research to nursing practice. ... Read more

Book Description

A Case Manager’s Study Guide: Preparation for Certification, 2e was developed to support the goal of assuring a uniform base knowledge for all Case Managers.It is a quick reference resource that provides clear and concise information on Case Management for those in the health care industry, and also serves as a study tool for those involved in preparing for case management certification.The use of this book will provide a basis from which readers may expand their studies in case management and will help to identify gaps in their scholarship.

This second edition includes questions for preparation for the annual certification exams in February and October along with a CD-ROM with study questions. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Goal Achieved!
A Case Manager's Study Guide: Preparing for Certification works well for the motivated self learner. The information contained in the book is thorough and concise. I felt prepared for the test after I completed my studies. The test questions, with the added benefit of having them on a CD-ROM, provide the learner with an excellent opportunity to prepare for the certification test environment, especially if you have test anxiety! I just received notice that I met the qualifications and passed the examination to be qualified as a Certified Case Manager(CCM).

Excellent, Concise Review for the CCM examination
The Case Manager's Study Guide with CD-ROM was the only reference book I used to prepare for the CCM exam. It is a very informative and concise manual which, unlike many books on the subject of Case Management currently on the market, is very easy to read and understand. The CD-ROM was especially helpful in preparing for the certification exam. And, I passed the examination with flying colors! Even now, I keep the manual in the office to use as a reference guide when I need clarification on certain issues.

CCM Study Guide
This book was my primary study guide and I passed the exam the first time I took it. I found the book helpful and would recommend it.

A Case Manager's Study Guide: Preparing for Certification
The book was a waste of money. I just took the CCM exam, and the book /CD did cover what was on on the exam. ... Read more