The Health Care Handbook: A Clear & Concise Guide to the United States Health Care System

“An astonishingly clear ‘user’s manual’ that explains our health care system and the policies that will change it.” Pauline Chen, MD - The New York Times The 2nd edition of the best-selling practical, neutral, and readable overview of the US health care system is now available. This updated edition of the Health Care Handbook covers: • New sections on health IT, team-based care and health care quality • A clear summary of health policy and the Affordable Care Act • Inpatient & outpatient health care and delivery systems • Health insurance and the factors that make health care so expensive • Concise summaries of 32 different health professions • Medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and the research world • And much, much more The Handbook is the one-stop guide to the people, organizations and industries that make up the U.S. health care system and major issues the system faces today. It is rigorously res

"A thoroughly researched yet eminently readable book. Core concepts and key facts replace the jargon, acronyms, and bureaucratese that can thwart understanding. Written in a conversational and occasionally even humorous tone, this book is also a pleasure to read." - Journal of the Medical Library Association

"The Health Care Handbook is concise, well written, and provides a wealth of information for those wanting a broad, yet reasonably detailed, overview of the U.S. health care system."- Mark L. Britton, Senior Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma

"The authors seem to embody the goals of reform in their writing, providing an accessible, nonpartisan guide and keeping the health of our nation (and its financial stability) in mind. This combination of essential information, a clear glossary of terms, and humor make the Handbook required reading." - American Journal of Medical Quality

"This is a book every pre-medical student, especially those who are interviewing, needs to read right now." - THE BIOPSY

"A terrific book and a great accomplishment." - Robert Wachter, M.D., Chief of Hospital Medicine, UCSF

"The Health Care Handbook is a good starting point for any student, health professional, or lay reader interested in how health care is delivered, paid for, researched, supplemented, and debated." - Health Affairs

"We have found it to be one of the best books that simplifies the complex US healthcare industry into an easy read. The Handbook has been well received by new employees with no experience in health care as well as those that have worked in the field for 20+ years." - Michael Pukszta, AIA, Healthcare Practice Leader, CannonDesign

"The Health Care Handbook is fundamental for every doctor's office to inform all members of the expanding medical team, particularly for those with less formal medical training. It allows all of us to better understand the complex system of which we are a part, thus allowing us to better serve our patients and work to simplify the barriers that they face." - Kyle Bradford Jones, MD, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

"The Health Care Handbook is exactly what it claims to be; "A Clear and Concise Guide to the United States Health Care System".  It was researched and written by two medical students who recognized that medical school does not prepare US doctors for dealing with the system in which they practice.  The result is one of the best overviews of American health care that I have seen to date." -Thomas W. Byrne, Director - Health Economics & Reimbursement, Boston Scientific Corporation