Essentials of Health Services

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.

Presents national health expenditures/ambulatory & public health services/hospitals & hospital systems/managed care.

Williams (San Diego State University) broadly describes measures of access to health care, the settings in which health care services are offered in the United States, and the methods of payment and managed care. The third edition is based on the longer textbook, Introduction to Health Services, 6th ed., published in 2002. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Anita Finkelman, MSN, RN(Orbis Education Services)
Description:This book attempts to provide an overview of the healthcare delivery system in the U.S. It does cover the critical broad areas of concern related to structure, organization, providers, and reimbursement.
Purpose:The major purpose is to provide a direct resource of current information about the healthcare delivery system -- scope and functions. This is a worthy objective, but the result is that it lacks depth.
Audience:According to the editor, this book is written for undergraduate students, clinicians, and those who have an interest in healthcare delivery. This is a broad group from perspective of education and experience. The editor and authors of chapters have the expertise to write about this subject.
Features:The book covers access to care, settings in which care is provided, reimbursement, and quality care issues. The content is highly relevant but poorly presented and too simplistic. The goal was to have a short, to the point discussion but the book seems to lack depth when some is needed. Chapter objectives and study questions are included, but no other additional learning strategies. There are no references for any of the chapters. Some of the areas of weakness are the limited content on nursing when nurses provide most of the acute care, and limited discussion about the major workforce shortage. Quality and safety are other critical issues that receive superficial attention.
Assessment:I would not purchase this book or use it as a reference or in teaching because it is too superficial.

Stephen Williams is the series editor for our Health Services Administration list. He is also a Professor of Public Health and head of the Division of Health Services Administration in the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University in Dan Diego, California.