ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an introduction to the complexity of health care. It discusses how health care, as a “services-based” business, differs in important ways from a “product-based” business model, the basis for many business “best practices.” The book examines the unique role that physicians play in the health care industry and who are probably the most highly educated front line workers in any industry. It identifies the challenges of working with patients who often don’t understand their own health challenges. The book reviews the challenges of measuring the Return on Investment and the quality of the services that are provided in the health care industry. It explores the increasing complexity in the field of medicine more generally. The book reviews the challenges that come from having patient data created and stored in multiple formats and systems.
