Essentials of Health Services - Softcover

PART ONE: AN OVERVIEW OF HEALTH CARE IN THE UNITED STATES 1 The Big Picture, 2 The Underlying Basis for Health Services Utilization, 3 Access to Health Care Services PART TWO: THE RESOURCES FOR PROVIDING CARE 4 Ambulatory Health Services: Backbone of the System, 5 Public Health Services, 6 Hospitals and Health Systems, 7 Mental and Behavioral Health Services, 8 Long-Term Care Services, 9 The People Who Provide Health Care Services, 10 The Pharmaceutical Industry PART THREE: PAYING FOR, MANAGING, CONTROLLING, AND EVALUATING THE SYSTEM 11 Paying for Health Care, 12 Managed Care and the Reorganization of Health Services, 13 Regulating and Planning for the System, 14 Quality of Care, 15 National Health Policy

Our national health care system is one of the nation's most important components. What we spend and invest in health care resources and services ultimately improves how long and how well we live. As costs and structure continue to increase in complexity, it is now more important than ever to understand how the system functions - whether you are a consumer or employed by the system. Now in its third successful edition, Essentials of Health Services gives you the most straightforward, uncomplicated explanation of how our health care system is structured and how it functions so you can better understand, use, and enhance the services that directly affect your life.