Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES) [Hardcover]

Ronald M. Andersen (Author), Thomas H. Rice (Author), Gerald F. Kominski (Author), Abdelmonem A. Afifi (Foreword), Linda Rosenstock (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0787985244 | ISBN-13: 978-0787985240 | Edition: 3

The third edition of Changing the U.S. Health Care System is a thoroughly revised and updated compendium of the most current thought on three key components of health care policy—improving access, ensuring quality, and controlling costs. Written by a panel of health care policy experts, this third edition highlights the most recent research relevant to health policy and management issues. New chapters address topics such as the disparities in health and in health care, information systems, and performance in the area of nursing. Revisions to chapters from the previous edition emphasize the most recent developments in the field.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is sobering and pulls no punches as it describes the myriad strengths and weaknesses on both policy and health care…" (PsycCritiques, 09/19/2007)

Review

Praise for Prior Editions of Changing the U.S. Health Care System

"This superb book provides a thorough and authoritative overview of the complex U.S. health care system. There are excellent chapters on such diverse topics as policies to extend . . .coverage (a brief history of health insurance), measuring health care costs, pharmaceutical prices, evaluating the quality of care, and medicare reform. . . . The topics and chapters are so well conceived that the material remains highly informative and relevant despite [changes in the industry]. This outstanding, comprehensive resource on the U.S. health care system is sure to be of great value to students, educators, and scholars."
—Eugene C. Rich, M.D.(Creighton University Medical Center), in Doody Enterprises Book Review Service

"The authoritative book on the U.S.health care system. Any student, scholar, executive, or policymaker who wants to understand a particular phenomenon should consult it."
—Deborah A. Freund, vice chancellor and provost, professor of public administration, Syracuse University

"Under one cover can be found the basic data and research relevant to virtually all important health policy issues, as well sophisticated analytic material on current problems and their range of possible solutions."
—Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., president and CEO, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 744 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 3 edition (February 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787985244
• ISBN-13: 978-0787985240
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Medical Books > Nursing > Home & Community Health
  • #71 in Books > Medical Books > Administration & Medicine Economics > Health Policy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Many questions and issues, few answers..., May 2, 2007

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES) (Hardcover)

As I work for a health insurance company, I felt that I would benefit from reading Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management by Ronald M. Andersen, Thomas H. Rice, and Gerald F. Kominski. Unfortunately, it was not what I was expecting. I was hoping for opinions and options on reforming health care. What I found was numerous stats, a lot of issues, and not too many answers.

Contents:

Part 1 - Access To Health Care: Improving Access to Care in America - Individual and Contextual Indicators; Ethnic Disparities in Health Status; Disparities in Health Care; Public Policies to Extend Health Care Coverage

Part 2 - Costs of Health Care: Measuring Health Care Costs and Trends; Containing Health Care Costs; Controlling Pharmaceutical Prices and Expenditures

Part 3 - Quality Of Health Care: Measuring Outcomes and Health-Related Quality of Life; Evaluating the Quality of Care; Public Release of Information on Quality; Health Care Information Systems; Performance Measurement of Nursing Care

Part 4 - Special Populations: Long-Term Care and the Elderly Population; AIDS in the Twenty-First Century - Challenges for Health Services and Public Health; Health Reform for Children and Families; Mental Health Services and Policy Issues; Women's Health - Key Issues in Access to Health Insurance Coverage and to Services Among Nonelderly Women; Homeless Persons

Part 5 - Directions for Change: Managed Care and the Growth of Competition; Medicare Reform; Public Health and Personal Health Services; The Continuing Issue of Medical Malpractice Liability; Ethical Issues in Public Health and Health Services

Index

I believe that most people would agree that the health care system in America is broken. Changes have to be made, as rising rates are making it harder for people to find affordable health care coverage. What I was hoping for in this book was a number of serious discussions on different approaches such as universal care, single-payer systems, etc. The chapters in the book are all written by a number of different people, making it a compilation of sorts. Nearly all the chapters go deeply into statistics and numbers, showing how population group x is affected by disease y in z percentages. From the standpoint of policymakers or actuarials, these numbers are necessary to know the extent of the problem. But I felt as if most of the discussion stopped there. Many issues were raised, and nearly any hint of a solution was watered down with all the reasons why it might not work or have the opposite effect of what was intended. Some of the sections were more informational than others, such as the chapter on Medicare reform. Learning the history of how Medicare came about, as well as under what assumptions, makes it easier to understand why the system functions as it does. But again, everything ended on a note of "things need to change", but not much was offered as an alternative...

Readers who need a heavy statistical or academic look at health care issues will find it here. People like myself who are more practical in nature will find the material rather plodding and dry. My overall conclusion after reading this was that there are no easy answers, and any solution will significantly hurt some portion of the current system. There's not enough money and resources for everyone to have unlimited access to the best health care available. And for a society that's used to immediate gratification, that'll be a hard sell...

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review, April 7, 2008

By 

Ashley Schneider "grad student" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES) (Hardcover)

Very good condition, interesting information better to use as a refernce then actually reading through from start to finish.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Never got the book...., October 1, 2010

By 

Debbie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changing the U.S. Health Care System: Key Issues in Health Services Policy and Management (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES) (Hardcover)

Unfortunately, I never received this book from the Storage Chest... maybe it's still in storage?! My card was charged $42.48... now I am "out" for that amount! When I went to track the order with the order #, it stated that no such order could be located. I tried 3 times to track it. I ordered the book on August 30, 2010 with an expected delivery date of September 22, 2010. I would like to be refunded. I have never had this problem before, and I hope that I don't in the future. Fortunately, I have been doing OK in my class without the book! (Going on line for certain chapters.)

-With Regrets
Debbie