The evidence is undeniable. By any measure, the US spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, yet its health outcomes as measure by longevity are in the bottom half among developed countries, and its health-related quality of life has remained constant or declined since 1998. In addition to high costs and lower than expected outcomes, the healthcare delivery system is plagues by treatment delays as it can take weeks to see a specialist, and many people have limited or no access to care.

Part of the challenge is that the healthcare delivery system is a large, complex, and sophisticated value creation chain. Successfully changing this highly interconnected system is difficult and time consuming because the underlying problems are hard to comprehend, the root causes are many, the solution is unclear, and the relationships among problems, causes, and solution are multifaceted. To address these issues, the book carefully explains the underlying problems, examines their root causes using information, data, and logic, and presents a comprehensive and integrated solution that addresses these causes. These three steps are the methodological backbone of this book.

A solution depends on understanding and applying the principles of patient-centered care (PCC) and resource management. PCC puts patients, supported by their primary care physicians, back in the role as decision makers and depends on patients being responsible for their health including making good life-style choices. After all, the best way to reduce healthcare costs and increase quality of life is to improve our health and wellness and as a result need less care. In addition, health insurance must be rethought and redesigned so it is less likely to lead to overuse. For many people with health insurance, the out-of-pocket cost of healthcare are small, so healthcare decision making is often biased toward consumption. Effective resource management means that healthcare providers must do a better job of acquiring and using resources in order to provide care quickly, productively, and correctly. This means improving healthcare strategy and management, accelerating the use of information technology, making drug costs affordable and fair, reducing the incidence of malpractice, and rebuilding the provider network.

In addition, implementation is difficult because there are many participants in the healthcare delivery value chain, such as physicians, nurses, and medical technicians, as well as many provider organizations, such as hospitals, clinics, physician offices, and labs. Further up the value chain there are pharmaceutical companies, equipment providers, and other suppliers. These participants have diverse and sometimes conflicting goals, but each must be willing to accept change and work in a coordinated manner to improve healthcare. To overcome these problems, strong national leadership is needed to get the attention and support from the people and organizations involved in healthcare and to make the comprehensive changes that will lower healthcare costs, improve healthcare quality, eliminate delays, increase access, and enhance patient satisfaction.

About the Author
Mark A. Vonderembse, David D. Dobrzykowski

Reviews

"Mark and David present the key challenges facing the healthcare system and provide a comprehensive solution that is easy to understand for the general public, while challenging the status quo among healthcare leaders. The book is very timely given the disruptive changes taking place in healthcare and definitely contributes to the current discourse regarding our industry's future!"
-Ceu Cirne-Neves, MPA, CPHQ, FACHE, Vice President - Physician and Patient Services, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health

"The book's patient-centered, resource management view of the U.S. healthcare system offers a unique perspective that will resonate with and generate fresh discussions among policy makers, health care payers, physician leaders and hospital executives alike. The book provides a fresh understanding of the healthcare delivery system that would be useful in healthcare-business academic degree programs as well as in educational sessions for healthcare managers and executives. This book motivates a new conversation, focused on a highly integrative, comprehensive approach to improving healthcare delivery."
-Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, Chancellor , University of Nebraska Medical Center

"A Healthcare Solution is a comprehensive and timely resource that is presented in a way that is understandable and engaging. The examples that are given are great insights into current healthcare problems and their root causes. The true intent of the authors is to improve health. Bravo."
-Rene Zipper, MBA, FACHE, Vice President Mid-Market, Press Ganey Associates

"Vonderembse and Dobrzykowski provide meaningful insight into the challenges we face with healthcare delivery and the solutions all stakeholders should reflect in our strategies and business models. This book should be mandatory reading for provider executives, supply chain leaders, product and services company representatives, and anyone involved with healthcare services - physicians, clinicians, providers, suppliers, consultants, and patients. It offers a comprehensive tool for helping us all achieve higher quality and more cost effective patient care and wellness."
-David Myers, EVP & Chief Customer Officer, Concordance Healthcare Solutions; Past Chairman, Healthcare Industry Distributors Association

"Vondermbse and Dobrzykowski provide a future thinking, grounded, holistic approach to healthcare reform. A welcome addition to the healthcare leadership toolbox and a must-read."
-Juan Manuel Tovar, MD, Medical Director Quality, Performance Improvement, and Utilization Management, Scripps Mercy Hospital

Book Information
ISBN 9781498758758
Author Mark A. Vonderembse
Format Hardback
Page Count 310
Imprint CRC Press Inc
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 566g