Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better Than Yours (Paperback)

~ (Author), Timothy Noah (Foreword)
Key Phrases: veterans health system, veterans health care system, United States, Hard Hats, World War (more...)

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Product Description

The long-maligned Veterans Health Administration has become the highest-quality healthcare provider in the United States. This encouraging change not only has benefited veterans but also provides a blueprint for salvaging America's own deeply troubled healthcare system. "Best Care Anywhere" shows how a government bureaucracy, working with little notice, is setting the standard for best practices and cost reduction while the private sector is lagging in both areas. Author Phillip Longman challenges conventional wisdom by explaining exactly how market forces work to lower quality and raise prices in the healthcare sector, and how U.S. medical practices have a weak basis in science. The book, expanded from a widely praised article in the "Washington Monthly," mixes hard facts with author Philip Longmans' compelling human story of the loss of his wife to cancer. Part manifesto, part moving memoir, "Best Care Anywhere" offers new hope for addressing a major problem of contemporary society that affects all of us.

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Product Details Paperback: 159 pages Publisher: Polipoint Press (January 1, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0977825302 ISBN-13: 978-0977825301 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #167,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #88 in  Books > Nonfiction > Government > Social Policy

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
veterans health system, veterans health care system

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Hard Hats, World War, Medical Center, New York, Ken Kizer, Kenneth Dickie, Institute of Medicine, Veterans Bureau, Veterans Administration, American Legion, New England Journal of Medicine, Great War, New Orleans

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	90% buy the item featured on this page: Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better Than Yours 4.4 out of 5 stars (16) $10.17
	6% buy The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care 4.6 out of 5 stars (104) $14.87
	2% buy Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer 4.4 out of 5 stars (28) $10.88
	1% buy Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much 4.2 out of 5 stars (22) $13.99

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews 5 star:  (12) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 16 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and right on target, May 24, 2008 By  Rick Rumford "Leadership Coach" (Houston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Philip Longman makes the case that current U.S. healthcare is a fragmented, market driven system that lags behind much of the industrialized world in both quality and access of healthcare. According to Longman, the problem with our healthcare system is that it isn't really a system and that it doesn't reward the one thing that it should - health improvement. In fact, he offers proof that in the U.S. doctors and hospitals are rewarded for providing treatment, but not necessarily providing health to their patients. To illustrate this, he offers examples from two of the nation's premier hospitals - Beth Israel and Duke Medical Center. Both initiated programs that were so successful at improving health that they became unprofitable and were ultimately terminated. This book is filled with understandable, but often shocking statistics. For example, every year in the United States 98,000 people die due to medical errors while in the hospital, another 90,000 die due to infections that they get while in the hospital, and 126,000 needlessly die because their doctor failed to use evidence-based protocols for just four of the most common conditions. The solution? Longman speaks effusively about the VA healthcare system. And rightfully so. It is the only fully functioning, evidence-based healthcare system in the country. The book explores the history of the VA and speaks honestly about some of the warts that mar the VA's reputation. But the truth of the matter is that the VA has turned all of that around and is currently at the front of the healthcare revolution. Longman's book contains sections on safety, quality improvement, the concept of lifetime healthcare, and the Kizer Revolution at the VA, which dramatically improved quality and altered forever the course of veterans' healthcare. The section on VistA, the software program that is revolutionizing healthcare, is worth the price of the book. This open source software program is really a bundle of 20,000 programs written in open source code. Surprisingly, it is being adopted extensively around the world - but not right here at home. Longman proposes a reform of the U.S. healthcare system that incorporates the best of VistA and many other VA best practices and innovations. If you are interested in the healthcare debate and what is possible in future U.S. healthcare, I highly recommend this book. For those interested in learning more about the healthcare debate and want to explore other opinions, I would also recommend the following three books: A Second Opinion: Rescuing America's Health Care; Who Killed Health Care?: America's $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure; and Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results. 11 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, May 27, 2007 By  Peter J. Groen (West Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This was a truly interesting book that is a 'must read' for those who are looking for alternative national solutions to our healthcare situation. Another related book of interest is "Medical Informatics 20/20" available on Amazon Medical Informatics 20/20: Quality And Electronic Health Records Through Collaboration, Open Solutions, And Innovation 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading, November 10, 2007 By  Concerned (Kansas) - See all my reviews Best Care Anywhere is well-researched and well-written. It clearly shows us why our health care "system" is costly and sometimes dangerous, and it gives some great ideas about how it can be fixed.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Seriously? I am a new employee in the VHA and wanted to see if the book says what I had heard. It does and explains why. A great read to see how and why your tax dollars work Published 5 days ago by Wired to Read 1.0 out of 5 stars No Incentive to Provide Good Service Yes, the author certainly seems to honestly believe that VA care is of good quality. I can tell you, based on my own experiences and what I have witnessed with my two eyes, is... Read more Published 1 month ago by Texas Cracker 5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read on HealthCare This is the best single description I have read of HealthCare that works, is comprehensive, does not discriminate against persons, medical need or history, and is test proven and... Read more Published 2 months ago by A. J. Watland 4.0 out of 5 stars a shot in the arm I did read the original article and have been an NP at the VA for 6 years. I am pleased with the quality of care I am able to provide at the VA and am impressed with my VA... Read more Published 2 months ago by Katherine Robertson 5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, important plea for computerized health information The title to this book is somewhat misleading. It sounds like it is a book about the Veterans Administration healthcare system. Read more Published 2 months ago by Richard Gibson 5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, Important, and Timely "Best Care Anywhere's" Longman was charged by "Fortune" magazine with finding the best examples of U.S. health care management. Read more Published 3 months ago by Loyd E. Eskildson 5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, this is outstanding We am not into politics, but you hear, see, read all this stuff about socialized medicine, and all those talking points, then we read this book and it's outstanding! Read more Published 3 months ago by Abaddon 5.0 out of 5 stars Best Care Anywhere As a VA health care professional, I read this book with great interest and have recommended to all my colleagues and many non-VA folks. Read more Published 7 months ago by PetuniaMB 5.0 out of 5 stars Uniique perspective This is a very unique perspective on looking at the broken VA health care system. What the chronically underfunded, understaffed stepchild of government accomplishes in spite of... Read more Published 9 months ago by Donna Dean 1.0 out of 5 stars The author must work for the VA The VA Health care system I read about in this book and the one I've experienced in real life are as different as night and day. Read more Published 12 months ago by GI Dan Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Polipoint Press (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977825302
• ISBN-13: 978-0977825301
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #167,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #88 in

  Books > Nonfiction > Government > Social Policy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and right on target, May 24, 2008

By	Rick Rumford "Leadership Coach" (Houston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Philip Longman makes the case that current U.S. healthcare is a fragmented, market driven system that lags behind much of the industrialized world in both quality and access of healthcare. According to Longman, the problem with our healthcare system is that it isn't really a system and that it doesn't reward the one thing that it should - health improvement. In fact, he offers proof that in the U.S. doctors and hospitals are rewarded for providing treatment, but not necessarily providing health to their patients. To illustrate this, he offers examples from two of the nation's premier hospitals - Beth Israel and Duke Medical Center. Both initiated programs that were so successful at improving health that they became unprofitable and were ultimately terminated.

This book is filled with understandable, but often shocking statistics. For example, every year in the United States 98,000 people die due to medical errors while in the hospital, another 90,000 die due to infections that they get while in the hospital, and 126,000 needlessly die because their doctor failed to use evidence-based protocols for just four of the most common conditions.

The solution? Longman speaks effusively about the VA healthcare system. And rightfully so. It is the only fully functioning, evidence-based healthcare system in the country. The book explores the history of the VA and speaks honestly about some of the warts that mar the VA's reputation. But the truth of the matter is that the VA has turned all of that around and is currently at the front of the healthcare revolution.

Longman's book contains sections on safety, quality improvement, the concept of lifetime healthcare, and the Kizer Revolution at the VA, which dramatically improved quality and altered forever the course of veterans' healthcare.

The section on VistA, the software program that is revolutionizing healthcare, is worth the price of the book. This open source software program is really a bundle of 20,000 programs written in open source code. Surprisingly, it is being adopted extensively around the world - but not right here at home.

Longman proposes a reform of the U.S. healthcare system that incorporates the best of VistA and many other VA best practices and innovations. If you are interested in the healthcare debate and what is possible in future U.S. healthcare, I highly recommend this book.

For those interested in learning more about the healthcare debate and want to explore other opinions, I would also recommend the following three books: A Second Opinion: Rescuing America's Health Care; Who Killed Health Care?: America's $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure; and Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, May 27, 2007

By	Peter J. Groen (West Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was a truly interesting book that is a 'must read' for those who are looking for alternative national solutions to our healthcare situation. Another related book of interest is "Medical Informatics 20/20" available on Amazon

Medical Informatics 20/20: Quality And Electronic Health Records Through Collaboration, Open Solutions, And Innovation

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading, November 10, 2007

By	Concerned (Kansas) - See all my reviews

Best Care Anywhere is well-researched and well-written. It clearly shows us why our health care "system" is costly and sometimes dangerous, and it gives some great ideas about how it can be fixed.