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

The increasing life expectancy seen in developing countries has coincided with massive migrations due to urbanization, industrialization, and disasters, both natural and man-made, to cause acute physical and psychological suffering for many old people and their dependents. In this study, Tout takes the first in-depth look at this phenomenon and proposes a new approach to the special needs of the elderly in developing countries. Describing successful national programs already in place for the elderly, he highlights lesser-known difficulties, such as the responsibilities grandmothers may have to assume in the face of heterosexually-transmitted AIDS, and the consequences of the disintegration of the traditional extended family in countries too poor to provide pension schemes.

Food aid has played a key role in responding to the extreme poverty and disasters afflicting millions of people in the developing world. It is at the centre of much political discussion, both nationally and internationally, and there have been notable successes, yet there is doubt and criticism about the appropriateness of food aid and confusion about the deep-rooted problems which perpetuate these calamities. Is food aid doing more harm than good? Can food aid help, not hinder, long-term development and self-reliance? Would a cheque not be better than food?;This book is designed to give a clear insight into the key issues, presenting a balanced assessment of the uses and misuses of food aid and relating these to the complex realities of the international economy. It is aimed at first-degree courses in development economics, scholars and policy-makers in the field and the general reader concerned with these issues.

- Quick Facts: summarizes important facts
- Overview: briefly introduces duties and responsibilities
- History: describes the history of the job in relation to the industry or field
- The Job: describes primary and secondary duties
- Requirements: discusses high school and post-secondary education and training as well as any necessary certification or licensing and personal requirements for success
- Exploring: offers suggestions on how to gain experience and knowledge in a field before making firm educational and financial commitments
- Employers: gives an overview of typical places of employment
- Starting Out: suggests the best ways to land a first job
- Advancement: presents an expected career path and how to get on it
- Earnings: lists salary ranges and typical fringe benefits
- Work Environment: looks at the work conditions and surroundings associated with a certain job
- Outlook: summarizes the job's potential growth or decline in terms of the general economy and industry projections
- For More Information: lists organizations that provide career information.

Technical Rescue Operations, Volume II: Common Emergencies is the second in a three-volume series by Larry Collins. Volume II covers responding to, managing, and conducting rescues in the "daily" setting of fire/rescue agencies. This includes the kind of technical rescues that confront firefighters and rescuers on practically a daily basis. This volume also explains how to handle more complex and large-scale rescue operations that challenge responders to apply solid rescue principals for longer periods of time, with the assistance required of additional resources and under more strict command and control because of the scope of the incident, its newsworthiness, crowds of people arriving on the scene, and getting the immediate attention of local or regional elected officials.

Features & Benefits:
Learn from the author's repeated "once in a career" incidents that are commonplace for busy fire/rescue units such as the L.A. County Fire Department's USAR task force/USAR Company
Maximize the base of knowledge developed by leading international rescuers and fire/rescue agencies, taught by a current practitioner assigned as an officer of one of the most experienced and battle-hardened fire department rescue units in the nation
Contains "best practices" from fire/rescue agencies from around the world, showing how technical rescues and disasters can be managed better, faster, and safer

This book is based on a public-health approach to the provision of water and sanitation in emergencies: an approach that is information-based and people-based. It emphasizes the need for a coordinated and phased response, which adapts to meet constantly changing needs. Two kinds of reader will find it useful: non-technical managers of disaster-relief programmes, who need to understand how water supply and sanitation works; and technicians and engineers, who need to see their work in a broader context and make decisions based on principles of equity and participation. Topics include site-selection, disposal of excreta and solid waste, drainage, and hygiene promotion. The text draws on Oxfam's years of practical experience in this field, and on the recommendations of the Sphere Project on Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.

This book presents a comparative analysis of mental health policy in Western Europe and North America. It also considers how and why different policies have developed.

Simon Goodwin examines the transition from institutional to community-based models of care for people with mental health problems, identifying variations in the inception, pace and style in which community-based service provision has emerged in different countries. Goodwin also assesses the problems and issues that have arisen as a result of the shift towards more community-based systems of care and treatment, and argues that it is a policy made up of conflicting aims and purposes, which is reflected in its implementation.

First responders in the fire, emergency, and police agencies work in high-risk, critical situations, and require effective leadership. Using the approach of Servant Leadership, Dr. Russell explains how executive level/chief officers can lead their teams by helping responders develop and perform as highly as possible and meet the needs of their followers. To bring the power of this philosophical approach towards leadership to life, this book demonstrates how its many aspects come together as a system, in order to strengthen the community of emergency responders. Featuring case studies and questions as meditative exercises, the book offers readers a rich learning experience. Targeted at fire chiefs, fire commissioners, police chiefs, and Emergency Medical Service, and other first responders, this book will have a positive impact on these organizations and the communities they serve. It is also useful for training aspiring executive level leaders/chief officers.

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.

This volume aims to go beyond tracking HMO penetration by examining the aggregate forces at work in an emerging managed care market. It discusses the fundamentals of managed care including: managing health; defining covered populations; and financing. The book examines how providers, payors and physicians are responding to trends in managed care and illustrates how to measure any market's level of managed care penetration through the creation of a managed care index. In addition, it details how to put the index to work as a reliable benchmarking tool and a solid planning base.

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.

Robust Satellite Techniques for Natural and Man-made Hazards: Prediction, Monitoring and Damage Assessment provides an introduction to the Robust Satellite Techniques (RST) change detection method. This method is used to identify significant signal changes in a reliable way, even in the presence of varying disturbing conditions as they apply to natural, environmental and industrial hazards. Providing both general and specific examples for the use of RST, the book offers a variety of applications for these techniques, spanning from natural hazard detection and environmental monitoring to industrial accident and terrorist attack early identification. Applicable to researchers, students and policy makers alike in a variety of fields, including Earth sciences, environmental monitoring, and disaster risk reduction. This book is essential for understanding advanced applications and analyses of remote sensing data.

Long-Term Care Investment Strategies provides the necessary guidance to understanding the changing climate for long-term care and accommodating new programs and facilities in strategic and financial plans, while remaining financially feasible. This step-by-step guide explains how healthcare organizations today can develop or expand long-term care services by constructing, converting, acquiring facilities, or by finding suitable partners for joint ventures. This insightful book considers the sources and availability of capital, the unique attributes of particular program and facility types, and strategies and techniques that have proven successful in the authors' wide experience.

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.

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.

This study presents a view of emergency services in which the clinician serves as a strong advocate for the patient while providing comprehensive evaluation, immediate crisis resolution and quick access to mental health services. This flexible and accessible approach is claimed to be dramatically improving the treatment of disturbed people, enabling them to function, with support, in the community, and greatly reducing hospitalization.