Disease, diagnoses, and dollars : facing the ever-expanding market for medical care

Disease, Diagnoses, and Dollars Facing the Ever-Expanding Market for Medical Care Robert M. Kaplan, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA __Close to 50 Million Uninsured,__ __Steeply Rising Insurance Premiums,__ __Employers Cutting Healthcare Benefits . . .__ There’s plenty wrong with this picture. In __Disease, Diagnoses, and Dollars__, public health expert Robert Kaplan takes America’s healthcare industry to task and challenges readers to examine their own roles in it. Provocative, timely, and comprehensively researched, this book analyzes the current healthcare crisis in terms of medical culture, economics, and advertising. The findings reveal a system fraught with conflicts—contradictory healthcare policies, providers who over-test and over-prescribe, patients with unrealistic demands fueled by the media—and throughout, an absence of accountability. Much of preventive medicine, Kaplan persuasively argues, comes down to the selling of expensive pills and procedures that drive up costs while subjecting the population to unneeded risks and complications. And the end result, he argues, is excess care for many people, and a dearth of care for many more. Kaplan’s informed, practical, and constructive approach makes __Disease, Diagnoses, and Dollars__ a "must-read" volume for policymakers and professionals in public health and healthcare, and for business owners as well as ordinary citizens and consumers concerned with the viability of healthcare in America.

there's Plenty Wrong With This Picture. In Disease, Diagnoses, And Dollars, Public Health Expert Robert Kaplan Takes America's Healthcare Industry To Task And Challenges Readers To Examine Their Own Roles In It.

doody Review Services

reviewer:carole Ann Kenner, Dns, Msn, Bsn(northeastern University Bouve College Of Health Sciences)
description:this Book Discusses Points Of Tension In The U.s. Healthcare System And Places The Burden On Readers To Critically Think About The Paradoxes Consumers Face.
purpose:the Purpose Is To Discuss Differences Between What Is Presented By Healthcare Providers And What Consumers May Actually Need. The Lack Of Accountability In Healthcare Delivery Is A Recurring Theme To Evoke Critical Discussions Or Thoughtful Analysis By Readers.
audience:the Intended Audience Includes Health Providers And Consumers. However, The Content Is Too High Level And Technical For Most Consumers.
features:the Book Includes Excellent Topics, Starting With The Disease Framework Of Healthcare, Moving To Specific Areas Of Mental Health, Chronic Illness, Then Into Screening For Cancer, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Diabetes, And Obesity. The Final Section Discusses Shared Decision-making And Practice Guidelines. The Author Suggests That Practice Guideline Development Has Been Supported In Many Instances By Pharmaceutical Companies. The Definitions Used In These Guidelines Have Not Always Been Strongly Evidence-based Or Consistent. These Are Important Points To Consider And Determine If The Author's Assessment Is Accurate. The Book Had Little Information On The Institute Of Medicine's Reports Regarding Quality That Have Influenced Healthcare Delivery, Which Is A Shortcoming.
assessment:there Are Many Health Policy Books That Address Ineffectiveness Of Healthcare Delivery. No Other Book Really Questions The Underpinnings Of Our Health Outcomes/parameter Definitions Or Whether The Guidelines Are Serving A Corporate Rather Than Individual Purpose.

"In Disease, Diagnoses, and Dollars, public health expert Robert Kaplan takes America's healthcare industry to task and challenges readers to examine their own roles in it." "This book analyzes the current healthcare crisis in terms of medical culture, economics, and advertising. The findings reveal a system fraught with conflicts - contradictory healthcare policies, providers who over-test and over-prescribe, patients with unrealistic demands fueled by the media - and throughout, an absence of accountability." "Kaplan's informed, practical, and constructive approach makes Disease, Diagnoses, and Dollars a "must-read" volume for policymakers and professionals in public health and healthcare, and for business owners as well as ordinary citizens and consumers concerned with the viability of healthcare in America."--BOOK JACKET Here's a conundrum: the U.S. health care system is the largest sector in the biggest economy in the world, and the US spends significantly more per capita on health care than any other country. Yet it ranks last among comparison nations on the major health indicators. Robert Kaplan attempts to tackle these anomalies head-on by taking the controversial position that mass markets have been created for services that may offer little or no benefit to patients. Kaplan forcefully argues that the overuse of medications and tests runs up the costs of health care, and offers potential solutions for policy makers and for patients. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Disease, Outcomes, and Money....Pages 1-6 The Disease-Reservoir Hypothesis....Pages 7-20 Mental Models of Health and Healthcare....Pages 21-34 What Is Disease and When Does It Begin?....Pages 35-46 Screening for Cancer....Pages 47-72 Deciding When Blood Pressure Is Too High....Pages 73-94 The Cholesterol Cutoff....Pages 95-110 Diabetes, Obesity, and the Metabolic Syndrome....Pages 111-130 Cost-Effectiveness and Opportunity Costs....Pages 131-147 Shared Medical Decision-Making....Pages 149-165 Putting the Pieces Together....Pages 167-178 Back Matter....Pages 179-187 Disease, Outcomes, And Money -- The Disease-reservoir Hypothesis -- Mental Models Of Health And Healthcare -- What Is Disease And When Does It Begin? -- Screening For Cancer -- Deciding When Blood Pressure Is Too High -- The Cholesterol Cutoff -- Diabetes, Obesity, And The Metabolic Syndrome -- Cost-effectiveness And Opportunity Costs -- Shared Medical Decision-making -- Putting The Pieces Together. Robert M. Kaplan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The US health care system is the largest sector in the biggest economy, and the US spends significantly more per capita on health care than any other country, yet it ranks last among comparison nations on the major health indicators. This title deals with the costs of health care and their impact on health