Paradox and Imperatives in Health Care

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Most hospitals, health systems, and other provider organizations in the United States are facing real financial peril. Mounting receivables from high-deductible health plans, financially challenged consumers, continuing cuts in Medicare, and a precarious economic environment suggest that real health care revenue has peaked. With operating costs increasing and critical investments in infrastructure—both physical and virtual—not being made, health care providers must find new ways to survive.

In their groundbreaking collaboration, Paradox and Imperatives in Health Care, award-winning authors Jeffrey C. Bauer and Mark Hagland explain why providers must draw upon internal resources to increase net revenue and provide the quality of care that payers and consumers are demanding. Through numerous case studies, the authors show how pioneering health care organizations are using performance improvement tools—including lean management, Six-Sigma, and the Toyota Production System—to produce excellent services as inexpensively as possible. This book challenges health care leaders to change their status quo mentality and to put their organizations on a positive path… while redirection is still possible.