ABSTRACT

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book discusses health care in terms of money, capital development, the yield on capital, market share, and similar issues. Although several distinguished economists are among the participants, these terms are not part of the familiar language of discourse in the academic medical center environment. Perhaps the reason is that we are not very good at discussing these aspects of health care. The book describes the many conflicts between maintaining often outdated institutions and the demand for rapid change and dynamic adaptation in the new world of health care. Any successful strategy for transforming and improving the health care system must include a strategy to preserve the academic health centers.