The United States Healthcare System: Overview, Driving Forces, and Outlook for the Future

by Stephen L. Wagner

Overview

The complexity of the United States healthcare system is well known, as are its challenges and shortcomings. A vital task in the years ahead will be to transition the system toward a new paradigm—one that more effectively balances quality, costs, and access to support the overall well-being of the American people. The United States Healthcare System: Overview, Driving Forces, and Outlook for the Future is intended for the healthcare professionals who will lead the transformation to optimized health and healthcare solutions. The book presents a broad overview of the system's numerous components, assesses the historical influences that brought us to our present state, and examines the trends and emerging opportunities through which we can attain a better future. The book's chapters establish a firm knowledge base for each topic while also inviting deeper discussion and further exploration. Collectively, they aim to foster a thorough, multidimensional understanding of how the healthcare system functions, how it has evolved, and how it can be improved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640551695
Publisher:	ACHE Learn
Publication date:	06/17/2020
Series:	Academic Series , #1
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	450
File size:	45 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Stephen L. Wagner, PhD, FACHE, FACMPE, FAcEM, has been active in the healthcare field for more than 45 years, focusing on the US system and its ongoing transformation. Dr. Wagner has extensive experience as a healthcare executive and is devoted to educating future leaders in the field. He is an assistant professor and the executive in residence for the Master of Health Administration program in the School of Health and Medical Sciences at Seton Hall University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview of the United States Healthcare System Chapter 2 History and Development of the US Healthcare System Chapter 3 American Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes about Health and Healthcare Chapter 4 Comparing the US Healthcare System with Those of Other Developed Countries Chapter 5 Components of Our Healthcare System Chapter 6 People and Providers of Healthcare Chapter 7 Patient Care: The Purpose of the System Chapter 8 Financing a Massive System Chapter 9 Quality and Safety—Easier Said Than Done Chapter 10 The Impact of Technology on US Healthcare Chapter 11 The Pharmaceutical Industry in the United States Chapter 12 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Chapter 13 Health Policy and Economics Chapter 14 The Future of Healthcare in the United States Appendix A Organizations and Websites Appendix B Recommended Publications Relating to Healthcare Administration Glossary Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Michael T Moonan, BSN, MBA (Advocate Aurora Health)
Description: This book presents a well-structured overview of the various forces impacting and influencing health care in the U.S. today, as well as a projection on the outlook for the future. After an introductory summary chapter, the book continues to expand on each of the 14 key factors identified as having the influence over today's modern healthcare system. The book is easy to read and well structured. Each chapter begins by listing a set of learning objectives, and ends with discussion questions that help the learners assess how well they processed the material. The book also has an ample glossary and a robust list of sources.
Purpose: The purpose of the book is to help readers identify key issues that are impacting the "triple aim" of health care: to reduce per capita costs, improve quality of the care that is delivered, and ensure fair and equitable access. These are worthy causes and are at the core of what every facet of the industry is trying to achieve. Overall, the book has achieved its objectives; however, the content on behavioral health is fairly thin. Many of the issues plaguing our country, especially when it comes to the subject of "access," are in the field of behavioral health.
Audience: The book is clearly targeted to students in healthcare administration, or perhaps even those obtaining an advanced degree in nursing, business administration, or another related field. The book effectively meets the needs of its intended audience; however, it has a heavier focus on providers when empathizing with the challenges faced in meeting the triple aim. Noticeably underrepresented is the nursing field. The author is a clear authority on the subject matter as a PhD with years of executive-level experience in the field. He currently teaches at Seton Hall in the Master of Healthcare Administration program.
Features: The book is an exceptionally easy read given the content matter covered. The author achieves this goal through the use of often humorous, sometimes poignant pop culture references sprinkled throughout. One by one, the author tackles the multitude of issues plaguing the United States healthcare delivery system. Dr. Wagner speaks to the challenges of achieving the triple aim, noting that in other industries these three goals could be viewed to be in conflict with each other. Specifically, throughout the course of the book, the author peels back the onion to reveal exactly how challenging it is to provide higher quality care to more people at a lesser cost. Some of the key forces detailed include values and beliefs, technology, policy issues, alternatives, and the various providers within the system. Again, if there is one critique of this otherwise exceptional overview, it is the lack of sufficient discussion on the stress of the healthcare system caused by the nation's underserved behavioral health population.
Assessment: This book is extremely well researched, covers most of the issues facing the nation's healthcare system in expert fashion, and is exceptionally easy to read, which can be a significant challenge given the material. It compares favorably to other similar titles covering this content. Jonas' Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System, 9th edition, Goldsteen (Springer Publishing Company, 2021) is a fair comparison as the reviews often cite the book as a great overview that is easy to read.

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