This is the first reference book to provide a detailed assessment of the Affordable Care Act, explaining the realities and myths surrounding one of the most divisive political struggles in recent U.S. history. The Affordable Care Act—also known as Obamacare—is one of the most controversial and politicized topics in the United States today. This timely book examines prominent claims about the legislation's drafting, debate, passage, and implementation, and discerns what is true and false about the law. Each of the text's eight chapters delves into the common beliefs, misinterpretations, and myths surrounding the act, tracing the history of the assertion and supporting or challenging its veracity through nonpartisan research and analyses. Chapters begin with an objective look at the claim's origins—with a brief focus on the person or group that conceived it and why—then set about clarifying or debunking it using evidence from research studies and reports from authoritative sources. Entries feature primary documents, a further reading section, and tables and graphs. Topics include the impact on health care costs for families, states, and the federal government; the effect of the Affordable Care Act on employer-sponsored insurance; and the role of health status on coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Public health nursing--with its focus on compassionate, holistic care and service to the poor, the aged, those suffering from social injustice, and those without adequate health facilities--had its origins over a century ago with the founding of the Henry Street Settlement in New York City. Embracing the same foundational principles, Nurse-Led Health Clinics is the first book to describe innovative, nurse-managed solutions for improving health care today. It addresses the key business, policy, medical, financial, and operational considerations necessary for successfully opening and operating nurse-led health facilities. With the mission to dramatically expand access to primary and preventative health care, these clinics provide a full range of services, including primary care, health promotion, disease prevention, and behavioural health care to residents of underserved communities throughout the U.S. The book delivers a wealth of comprehensive information for nurses who are considering opening their own clinics. Reinforced with best-practice models and case studies, it takes a concrete look at what it takes to successfully start and run a nurse-managed health center. The book addresses the history and growth of nurse-led clinics and describes the nurse-led paradigm of care. It identifies the different types of nurse-led clinics (primary care, school based, wellness clinics, and more) and the clinical services offered within them. Also discussed are the requirements and mind-set of potential consumers and strategies for sustainability along with the role of the collaborative team. The pros and cons of a variety of business and operations models are examined along with quality metrics and initiatives. The book also covers various state and federal policy challenges and opportunities and explores the future of nurse-led care in view of ongoing health care reform. Helpful appendices include a start-up checklist, sample by-laws and a managed care contracting toolkit. Key Features: Describes key business, policy, medical, financial, and operational considerations for running a nurse-managed health center Addresses the pros and cons of a variety of business models for nurse-led care Identifies the most common clinical services offered Presents quality metrics, best practice models, and case studies Includes state and federal policy and regulatory challenges and opportunities

This book explores how political, social, economic and institutional factors in eight emerging economies have combined to generate diverse outcomes in their move towards universal health care. Structured in three parts, the book begins by framing social policy as an integral system in its own right. The following two parts go on to discuss the opportunities and challenges of achieving universal health care in Thailand, Brazil and China, and survey the obstacles facing India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and Venezuela in the reform of their health care systems. The evolution of social policy systems and the cases in this volume together demonstrate that universalism in health care is continuously redefined by the interactions between diverse political forces and through specific policy processes. At a time when international and national-level discourse around health systems has once again brought universalism to the fore, this edited collection offers a timely contribution to the field in its thorough analysis of health care reform in emerging economies.

Combining conceptual, pragmatic and operational approaches, this edited collection addresses the demand for knowledge and understanding of IT in the healthcare sector. With new technology outbreaks, our vision of healthcare has been drastically changed, switching from a 'traditional' path to a digitalized one. Providing an overview of the role of IT in the healthcare sector, The Digitization of Healthcare illustrates the potential benefits and challenges for all those involved in delivering care to the patient. The incursion of IT has disrupted the value chain and changed business models for companies working in the health sector, and also raised ethical issues and new paradigms about delivering care. This book illustrates the rise of patient empowerment through the development of patient communities such as PatientLikeMe, and medical collaborate platforms such as DockCheck, thus providing a necessary tool to patients, caregivers and academics alike.

Even if constrained in their international choices, recipient countries of global health programmes hold the capacity to autonomously define and pursue their own strategies, policies, and ultimately attain political goals. This is comparatively demonstrated through the analysis of PEPFAR's implementation in Botswana, Ethiopia and South Africa.

This clear-sighted volume introduces the concept of "disruptive cooperation"- transformative partnerships between the health and technology sectors to eliminate widespread healthcare problems such as inequities, waste, and inappropriate care. Emphasizing the most pressing issues of a world growing older with long-term chronic illness, it unveils a new framework for personalized, integrative service based in mobile technologies. Coverage analyzes social aspects of illness and health, clinically robust uses of health data, and wireless and wearable applications in intervention, prevention, and health promotion. And case studies from digital health innovators illustrate opportunities for coordinating the service delivery, business, research/science, and policy sectors to promote healthier aging worldwide. Included among the topics: Cooperation in aging services technologies The quantified self, wearables, and the tracking revolution Smart healthy cities: public-private partnerships Beyond silos to data analytics for population health Cooperation for building secure standards for health data Peer-to-peer platforms for physicians in underserved areas: a human rights approach to social media in medicine Disruptive Cooperation in Digital Health will energize digital health and healthcare professionals in both non-profit and for-profit settings. Policymakers and public health professionals with an interest in innovation policy should find it an inspiring ideabook.

It has long been known that the pathway through the criminal justice system for those with mental health needs is fraught with difficulty. This interdisciplinary collection explores key issues in mental health, crime and criminal justice, including: offenders' rights; intervention designs; desistance; health-informed approaches to offending and the medical needs of offenders; psychological jurisprudence, and; collaborative and multi-agency practice. This volume draws on the knowledge of professionals and academics working in this field internationally, as well as the experience of service users. It offers a solution-focused response to these issues, and promotes both equality and quality of experience for service users. It will be essential reading for practitioners, scholars and students with an interest in forensic mental health and criminal justice.

This book presents the latest in decision-making tools, techniques, and solutions for policy makers to utilize in overcoming the challenges faced by healthcare systems. With contributions from experts world-wide, an array of healthcare management models, techniques, and integrative solutions are presented, drawing on econometric, system dynamics, and agent-based models as well as state-of-the-art empirical studies. As total healthcare spending (both total expenditures on health as a percentage of GDP and average spending on per capita) increases across most of the world's economies, healthcare systems continue to face challenges in terms of cost, quality, and access, as a result of its fragmented nature. Consequently, healthcare managers and policy makers require innovative integrative approaches and solutions to better manage complex, dynamic healthcare systems. This volume offers researchers and policy makers an insightful and critical review of the state of the art in healthcare modeling, with a particular focus on system dynamics, agent-based models, and modern empirical studies. It will be of interest to those in the fields of health, business management, and information systems.

This fascinating book on the trials and tribulations of the life of Khaliyq (Ka-leek) Nazaire will take you along for a journey of compassion. Khaliyq is not your average young adult. His mix of genius and struggle with mental dis-ease leads him on an intriguing journey of self-discovery and self-destruction. No hurdle is too high to contemplate jumping, no accomplishment thought out of reach. Yet on the streets, everyone's a potential enemy in Khaliyq's mind. What he still can't get used to is a world where integrity is an option, one where people trying to take from you is the norm. Khaliyq plunges deeply into creating the life of his desire. He has a promising career with a path toward entrepreneurship, degrees from a prominent college and university, women who love him, worldwide vacation destinies, techy toys, and a house in the suburbs. Khaliyq's life is a mirror in extremes, exemplified by his unique childhood in an Islamic commune in Brooklyn, NY, to the prestigious Morehouse College and then St. John's University, to one of the big four accounting firms on Wall Street. A leader by nature and example, helper and inspiration to many, made sure that giving back was an inherent part of his lifestyle. But all of that is not enough, and he sets his hurdles precipitously higher and higher. This book will show you that everyone struggles with something, and being our brother's keeper is the best thing we can do to help each other hold fast on our way. Leaping the Hurdles of Life, A Tiger's Story is for everyone who struggles on the path of life, desires to live a life of joy, and is a reminder that no one can do it alone.

Starting with more general issues of healthcare policy and governance in a global perspective and using the lens of national case studies of healthcare reform, this handbook addresses key themes in the debates over changing healthcare policy.

On average, people in Europe are living longer, and are in better health. Despite this, however, a significant degree of health inequality is emerging among different socioeconomic groups. Assessment-of-need procedures and eligibility rules define the target population in 'need-of-care', and represent a compulsory gateway for olderadults in order to receive home-care benefits, either in-kind or in-cash. In this context, the economic relevance of formal long-term care has been growing and the rates of care-dependent older people in need of long-term care are estimated to increase in the forthcoming decades. The authors of this volume compare micro-data from SHARE (the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) and ELSA (the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing) across Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom's England and Wales, where eligibility rules are care-blind. They critically review long-term care regulations in Europe, offering a detailed taxonomy of the role and the characteristics of vulnerability-evaluations and eligibility criteria. This book is of interest to academics in health economics and social policy, managers in the health sector, policy makers and professionals interested in the design, implementation and evaluation of long-term care policies. It could also be used to support different courses in the fields of ageing, health economics and policy evaluation.

Based on twenty-five years of fieldwork, Rural Women's Sexuality, Reproductive Health, and Illiteracy: A Critical Perspective on Development examines rural women's behaviors towards health in several developing countries. These women are confronted with many factors: gender inequalities, violence from partners, and lack of economic independence. The book also gives insight into the general weakness of the health systems in place and questions the progress of numerous international conferences ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development) and MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) along with WHO (The World Health Organization) Frame Work for Action, UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) all supporting women's empowerment as related to violence, education, and reproductive health. Chapters provide numerous concrete examples and vignettes describing constraints on women in a variety of countries related to their intimate lives and their struggle between traditional and modern medicine. Widely practiced clandestine sex work is a challenge to HIV/AIDS programs. The book examines the women who choose clandestine sex work and their clients' sexual behavior and attitudes toward prostitution and HIV prevention. It also explores the negotiations between promiscuous, migratory men, and the ties of sexuality and fertility that women use to tie them to a male partner. The book argues for effective delivery of healthcare programs accompanied by multi-lateral responses from the civil society, governments, donors and agencies. Rural Women's Sexuality, Reproductive Health, and Illiteracy is a useful resource scholars, as well as consultants and staff working in development agencies and public health.

This handbook presents a diverse range of effective treatment approaches for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its triple focus on key concepts, treatment and training modalities, and evidence-based interventions for challenging behaviors of individuals with IDD provides a solid foundation for effective treatment strategies, theory-to-implementation issues, and the philosophical and moral aspects of care. Expert contributions advocate for changes in treating individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by emphasizing caregiver support as well as respecting and encouraging client autonomy, self-determination, and choice. With its quality-of-life approach, the handbook details practices that are person-centered and supportive as well as therapeutically sound. Topics featured in the handbook include: Functional and preference assessments for clinical decision making. Treatment modalities from cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy to mindfulness, telehealth, and assistive technologies. Self-determination and choice as well as community living skills. Quality-of-life issues for individuals with IDD. Early intensive behavior interventions for autism spectrum disorder. Skills training for parents of children with IDD as well as staff training in positive behavior support. Evidence-based interventions for a wide range of challenging behaviors and issues. The Handbook of Evidence-Based Practices in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in clinical psychology, social work, behavior therapy, and rehabilitation.

How do doctors and nurses communicate with frightened patients who are dying, address the needs and concerns of the patients, and help the patients arrive at an acceptance of death? This work deals with the relationship that the health care team has with the dying and how well that team is prepared to address the fears of the dying. In addition, the health care team must learn to deal with their own emotions and ignorance concerning death. This work should be of interest to those professions that deal closely with dying people.

In the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, medical patients engage a variety of healing practices to seek cures for their ailments. Patients use the expanding biomedical network and a growing number of traditional healthcare units, while also seeking alternative practices, such as shamanism and other religious healing, or even more provocative practices. The Patient Multiple delves into this healthcare complexity in the context of patients' daily lives and decision-making processes, showing how these unique mountain cultures are finding new paths to good health among a changing and multifaceted medical topography.

This book addresses information technologies recently applied in the field of construction safety. Combining case studies, literature reviews and interviews to study the issue, it presents cutting-edge applications of various information technologies (ITs) in construction in different parts of the world, together with a wealth of figures, tables and examples. Though primarily intended for researchers and experts in the field, the book will also benefit graduate students.