`The author presents a plethora of infomation on users as individuals, their communities, research, healthcare markets and health service myths - old and new. It's a cool academic appraisal of where the power lies and how more might be shared with the patient' - Health Service Journal `Anything that helps us to understand the complexities of healthcare provision and what issues are important to users is therefore helpful. I welcome Christine Hogg's excellent summary of the issues raised by users about healthcare services. It clearly informs readers of the debates that need to take place and of the issues that healthcare practitioners should address in order to better serve their users.... So read the book to gain a better understanding of some of the issues that users feel strongly about' - British Medical Journal Making an original contribution to debates on health policy, this accessible and engaging book critically examines the future of health care and public health policy from the perspective of users and citizens. Consumerism, partnerships with patients and user involvement are seen as key to future health care and healthy public policies. The book outlines how individuals as patients, healthy people and research subjects relate to health services and how the public, as citizens, influence health care and public policies at local, national and international levels.

From 1971 to 1982, researchers at the RAND Corporation devised an experiment to address two key questions in health care financing: how much more medical care will people use if it is provided free of charge? and what are the consequences for their health? This book presents a comprehensive account of the experiment and its findings. It will be an invaluable teaching tool and reference for anyone concerned with health-care policy.

One of the major concerns about the changing U.S. health-care systems is whether they will improve or diminish the quality and cost-effectiveness of medical care. The shift from a fee-for-service to a prepaid method of reimbursement has greatly changed the incentives of patients to seek care as well as those of providers to supply it. This change poses a particular challenge for care of depressed patients, a vulnerable population that often does not advocate for its own care. This book documents the inefficiencies of our national systems--prepaid as well as fee-for-service--for treating depression and explores how they can be improved.

Although depression is a major illness affecting millions of people, it is seriously undertreated in the United States. The ongoing shift of mental-health care away from specialists and toward primary medical-care providers is causing fewer depressed patients to be appropriately diagnosed and treated. Depression is frequently more devastating than other major illnesses, such as arthritis and heart disease, because it often begins at a younger age, when people are at their productive peak and thus at risk of permanently damaging their careers. It also differs from many medical conditions in that its indirect costs are usually much higher than direct treatment costs.

The authors urge the integration of both medical and economic considerations in designing policies for the treatment of depression. They show that by spending more money efficiently on care, the nation will gain greater health improvements per dollar invested and a more productive population.

Runaway medical costs, long-term care, market competition, for-profit medicine, nursing shortages-these are but a few of the issues that swirl around in the late twentieth century's volatile health care scene. How much of the system do we want to change, and how much do we want to keep? Health policy expert Eli Ginzberg examines such crucial questions in his characteristically broad-gauged perspective. Framing the issues in their historical, political, and professional contexts, the author analyzes how we have arrived at the current crisis. The book focuses on the three sides of the medical triangle that have separate and sometimes conflicting goals: the physicians want to provide the most health care for the most money; the government, which furnishes 40 percent of the system's funding, wants to limit the money it pays out for health care; and the public, with over a billion annual visits to doctors, wants the most health care for the least money. Ginzberg explains how the core components of our health care system-the community hospital and physicians who have long practiced in a fee-for-service mode-are under attack, and he indicates the factors that make it uncertain whether the destabilization will slow down or accelerate. Moreover, can key health care centers maintain their leadership in a time when new dollars for health are scarce? How will the floundering state of foundations affect medical care in local communities? In his final chapters the author zeroes in on the special concerns of the public: high-need patients (including those suffering from cancer, catastrophic illness, and the infirmities of old age, or those who are mentally ill or chronically poor), nursing shortages, unsuccessful cost containment, and lack of consensus within the medical triangle about the major issues on our nation's health agenda.

Published in Cooperation with the Midwest Council for Social Research on Aging Improved standards of living coupled with advancements in medical technology have enhanced much of the populations' opportunities for living long and productive lives. But what are the implications for living longer? Is living longer necessarily the best thing for the individual? And, what about the quality of that life? In this insightful volume, leading figures in social gerontology present state-of-the-art research on health and longevity. They discuss such consequential topics as health promotion and disease prevention, supply and demand for social and medical services, governmental and community response to needs, and effects of gender and ethnicity on health and life circumstances. In addition, they provide a sound basis for understanding the theoretical questions and empirical findings of a growing and multifaceted field. The Legacy of Longevity is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to understand the health and social implications of an aging population. Administrators and policymakers will find its practical information useful in planning and implementing programs to improve the health and social well-being of older persons. "Address[es] a variety of topics pertinent to the health care of older adults including conceptualizing and measuring health; social factors associated with becoming sick; use of health-care services; organization and financing of health-care services; and the interaction of the system with the individual. . . . Recommended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students." --Choice "This book provides intelligent discussion of the important issues in health care and health policy for elderly people today. The authors' expertise in setting out their arguments clearly is obvious and the outcome is an inspired presentation of what could appear to be a dull topic. It should become a key text for the specialist readers." --Journal of Advanced Nursing "Purely as a work of reference, the book is very useful. But it is more than that. . . . There is no shortage of fresh insights or of controversial positions; the authors on the whole, do not get bogged down in the minutiae of their findings or the findings of others but set them in context and discuss them with concern and enthusiasm. . . . The editor is to be congratulated on the way in which he has assembled and balanced the various contributions, successfully weathering the perils of overlap and repetition." --Ageing in Society "The Legacy of Longevity is a multiauthor collaborative effort, full of information bound to be of interest to serious students, educators, and practitioners in the fields of aging. It provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art research on health and longevity as these relate to social issues." --Pride Institute of Long Term Home Health Care

Natural and man-made disasters occur across the world, often without warning. Careful forward planning and preparedness to deal with emergencies can significantly reduce numbers of deaths, levels of disease, and general disruption to community life. Any programme of disaster prevention and preparedness should promote optimum co-ordination between the various governmental, non-governmental and private organizations involved. This manual is aimed at local managers ad decision-makers in the various sectors, including health, that need to co-operate in the process.

The opportunity to fill empty beds, increase utilization, and bolster revenues without adding staff has made subacute care one of the fastest growing subspecialties in healthcare. Hospitals, nursing facilities, and independent management companies have discovered that subacute care - the area of patient care that lies somewhere between inpatient hospitalization and long-term care services - is capable of generating more profits for financially healthy institutions or turning around struggling organizations. Subacute Care Services introduces and defines this financially prosperous industry while addressing the intrinsic value of its services to healthcare professionals. Subacute Care Services provides a pragmatic look at the development process for starting a subacute care unit and discusses the hospital versus long-term care facility as a unit site. Written by the leading experts in the field, Subacute Care Services is a "must" read for healthcare professionals in hospitals and long-term care.

Presents the best of what the Net has to offer in healthcare management and medicine. Designed to save computer users' time, money and frustration, this resource summarizes the most creative and practical sites on the Net and provides an up-to-date listing of how to find them. The work includes the online address and a brief summary of each site, along with highlights of notable downloads and forums. It also features a rating system for evaluating each site, including response time, content, graphics, interactivity and overall value.