ABSTRACT

Despite more than a decade of change, the U.S. health care delivery system is still in the early stages of its transformation into a truly effective, cost efficient and compassionate system. In Healthcare.com: RX for Reform, Dr. David Friend, trained in both medicine and business, delineates the symptoms of our ailing healthcare system and offers a vision for the future.

Even with the enormous turmoil our health care system has undergone - from the proliferation managed care to the closing of hospitals - large numbers of people continue to receive sub-optimal care. The author discusses several symptoms including:

  • increasing costs
  • uncertain quality of care
  • eroding trust in health care vendors
  • increasing prospect of shareholder liability
  • declining access to providers
  • unclear impact on employee productivity

    It is time to discard the old, traditional way of thinking about healthcare and take a fresh look at its issues and challenges. To tackle these challenges we must strike a balance between the seemingly dissimilar disciplines of economics, medicine, technology, and politics. Dr. Friend proposes that we tear down the brick and mortar delivery model and replace it with a Virtual Health Care System.

    This new model changes the roles of everyone involved in the healthcare system, from the patient to the healthcare provider. It utilizes technology to redesign health care so that it can be delivered with higher quality and greater efficiency. Healthcare.com: RX for Reform examines the actions necessary for the evolution of our current system into a Virtual Health Care System.

    Features
  • chapter chapter one|13 pages

    Three Powerful Forces

    chapter chapter two|7 pages

    New Deal, New Values

    chapter chapter three|11 pages

    From Wastecare to Hollowcare

    chapter chapter four|10 pages

    Opening the Door to Efficientcare

    chapter chapter five|9 pages

    The Virtual Health Care System

    chapter chapter six|9 pages

    Changing Roles

    chapter chapter seven|7 pages

    Paying Hippocrates*

    chapter chapter eight|7 pages

    Disability: The Hidden Health Care Dilemma*

    chapter chapter nine|8 pages

    Value Purchasing and Partnerships*

    chapter |2 pages

    Conclusion