Market-driven Health Care: Who Wins, Who Loses In The Transformation Of America's Largest Service Industry / Edition 1

by Regina Herzlinger

Overview

What happens when the demanding consumers who nearly brought the U.S. automobile industry to its knees focus the same kinds of pressure on the industry that represents one-seventh of the U.S. economy—health care? The health organizations that combine quality, convenience, information, choices, and lower costs will be the winners in this revolution. Regina Herzlinger, chaired professor at the Harvard Business School, distills the facts from the noise surrounding the one industry whose measures of success are life and death. In a thoroughly readable, anecdotal style, she pinpoints the drivers of change—the savvy consumer, the cost-conscious payer, and the rapidly improving technology—that will revolutionize the American health-care system. This is a must-read for those in every corner of the immense health-care web. With its strong narrative style, this is a book that will be read and talked about by everyone concerned about the future of American health care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738201368
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	05/21/1999
Edition description:	Paperback ed.
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Regina Herzlinger has been analyzing and researching the health-care industry for twenty-five years. Nancy R. McPherson is professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, she is a board member of numerous organizations inside and outside of the health-care field. Market-Driven Health Care received the 1998 James A. Hamilton Book of the Year Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Editorial Reviews

Herzlinger (Harvard Business Sch.) contends that improvements can be made to the American healthcare system by removing our current third-party payment system and allowing consumer demand to lead the healthcare market. Using eyewear as an example, Herzlinger shows how this consumer-driven market provides convenient, focused services with competitive prices. Most vision care services are not covered by medical insurance, forcing this sector of healthcare to respond to consumer demand. The author provides additional case studies, both within and outside the healthcare industry, that illustrate how team building, focusing on specific products and services, and prudent investments in technology can lead to convenient, cost-effective healthcare. While Herzlinger admits that abolishing the third-party payment system will present numerous difficulties, she includes suggestions for overcoming many of them. Written in a straightforward, readable style, this book is recommended for all libraries.-Tina Neville, Univ. of South Florida at St. Petersburg Lib.

Library Journal