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Originally published in 1980, this book explores how the NHS confronts perennial stresses and problems, considering in particular the allocation of the scarce resources within the health service. Written by distinguished academics, three of whom previously undertook research work for the Royal Commission on the NHS, the discussion centres on whether more could not be spent, whether resources are being allocated equitably, how planning can work most effectively, whether there are feasible ways of financing the service and how organisation and management could be improved: in short, all issues which continue to be pertinent to the NHS today.

While health system decentralization is often associated with federations, there has been limited study on the connection between federalism and the organization of publicly financed or mandated health services. Federalism and Decentralization in Health Care examines eight federations that differ in terms of their geography, history and constitutional and political development. Looking at Canada, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and Switzerland, Federalism and Decentralization in Health Care examines constitutional responsibility for health care, the national laws establishing a right to health care, the predominant sources and organization of public revenues directed to health care, and the overall organization of the health system. In additional to these structural features, each country case study is subjected to a'decision space analysis'to determine the actual degree of health system decentralization. This involves determining whether national and subnational governments have narrow, moderate or broad discretion in their decisions on governance, access, human resources, health system organization and financing. This comparative approach highlights the similarities and differences among these federations. Offering reflections on recent trends in centralization or decentralizations for the health system as a whole, Federalism and Decentralization in Health Care, is a valuable resource for those studying health care policy in federal systems and especially those interested in comparative aspects of the topic.

How does the need to obtain and deliver health services engender particular (im)mobility forms? And how is mobility experienced and imagined when it is required for healthcare access or delivery? Guided by these questions, Healthcare in Motion explores the dynamic interrelationship between mobility and healthcare, drawing on case studies from across the world and shedding light on the day-to-day practices of patients and professionals.

This edited collection is the first to apply the theoretical lens of post-Foucauldian governmentality to an analysis of health problems, practices, and policy in Ireland. Drawing on empirical examples related to childhood, obesity, mental health, smoking, ageing and others, the collection explores how specific health issues have been constructed as problematic and in need of intervention in the Irish State, and considers the strategies, discourses and technologies involved in the art of governing health in advanced liberal democracies. Bringing together academics from social policy, sociology, political science and public health, the text seeks to develop a dialogue about both the nature of health and health policy in the Ireland, but also how governmentality, as a theoretical approach, can contribute to the development of critical health policy analysis.

Health systems have long been considered key determinants of well-being within modern societies, a valuable resource which have faced a series of reform initiatives throughout the past decades. These reforms have been used to manage the cost of development, measure the tenability of health systems in globalizing economies and promote the increasing importance of health problems related to lifestyle and living conditions, yet they have failed to provide a true resolution to the persistent economical and logistical problems facing modern-day health systems. This rich, interdisciplinary work explores the hypothesis that many of these problems cannot be adequately addressed without structural changes to our health systems, and examines the embedded features of our health systems that underlie contemporary challenges as well as how, and under what conditions, our health systems can be made more sustainable. Combining and building upon theoretical approaches from transition and innovation studies for analysing health system deficits, Toward Sustainable Transitions in Healthcare Systems raises fundamental questions about how new research, new needs and exogenous trends are transforming current health innovation systems. Providing an original and substantial analysis of the complex structural features of the health innovation system, this book will be of interest to students and practitioners of the politics of health, social epidemiology, medical sociology and those with an interest in transition theory.

Provider-Led Population Health Management: Key Healthcare Strategies in the Cognitive Era, Second Edition draws connections among the new care-delivery models, the components of population health management, and the types of health IT that are required to support those components. The key concept that ties all of this together is that PHM requires a high degree of automation to reach everyone in a population, engage those patients in self-care, and maximize the chance that they will receive the proper preventive, chronic, and acute care. While this book is intended for healthcare executives and policy experts, anyone who is interested in health care can learn something from its exploration of the major issues that are stirring health care today. In the end, the momentous changes going on in health care will affect us all.

Publ. à l'origine dans la coll.: Monographies du Centre québécois collaborateur de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé pour le développement des villes et villages en santé.

Community development, planning and partnerships have become important terms in health promotion but, up until now, debate around these concepts have been discussed more in planning science than in public health literature. Roar Amdam draws on theories and new empirical evidence from local, regional and international planning and public health in order to develop a new model for health promotion: empowerment planning. Much health promotion planning has focused on top-down approaches, and while efforts to be participative are made, it is often without having a clear understanding of how community empowerment can be accommodated within health promotion programs. Amdam's innovative concept combines top-down and bottom-up approaches to enable people to take more responsibility for their own health and for individual and collective capacity building. Planning in Health Promotion Work is suitable for all students and researchers of health promotion and health planning and development, whilst the numerous applied examples make it an invaluable resource for policymakers and practitioners working in public health.

Many developing countries are looking to scale-up what works through major systems strengthening investments. With leadership, conviction and commitment, systems thinking can facilitate and accelerate the strengthening of systems to more effectively deliver interventions to those in need and be better able to improve health in an equitable way. Systems thinking is not a panacea. Its application does not mean that resolving problems and weaknesses will come easily or naturally or without overcoming the inertia of the established way of doing things. But it will identify, with more precision, where some of the true blockages and challenges lie. It will help to: 1) explore these problems from a systems perspective; 2) show potentials of solutions that work across sub-systems; 3) promote dynamic networks of diverse stakeholders; 4) inspire learning; and 5) foster more system-wide planning, evaluation and research. And it will increase the likelihood that health system strengthening investments and interventions will be effective. The more often and more comprehensively the actors and components of the system can talk to each other from within a common framework --communicating, sharing, problem-solving - the better chance any initiative to strengthen health systems has. Real progress will undoubtedly require time, significant change, and momentum to build capacity across the system. However, the change is necessary - and needed now. This report therefore speaks to health system stewards, researchers and funders and maps out a set of strategies and activities to harness these approaches, to link them to these emerging opportunities and to assist systems thinking to become the norm in design and evaluation of interventions in health systems. But, the final message is to the funders of health system strengthening and health systems research who will.

In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the knowledge base on social determinants and how these influence health is sparse. This publication reviews the social determinants of health in seven countries of the region and represents a first step towards building a knowledge base that can inform policy and strategies related to social determinants and the health inequities arising from them. The publication also discusses some of the strategies that could be adopted to forward the agenda on social determinants of health and health equity in individual countries. An EMRO Publication

Health targets can help to improve the governance of health systems. They express a commitment to achieve specified outputs over a defined period, and allow progress towards broad goals and objectives to be monitored.They may be quantitative or qualitative, and based on outcomes or processes.This book draws on a series of case studies on the use of health targets, written by experts from Catalonia (Spain), England (United Kingdom), Flanders (Belgium), France, Germany, Hungary and the RussianFederation. It reviews the major technical, managerial and political challenges of defining and implementing health targets. While they help focus attention on agreed goals, to realize their potential they need to be based on evidence, accepted by those who work to achieve them, be embedded in frameworks of mutual accountability, linked to appropriate incentives and/or sanctions and supported by an adequate intelligence infrastructure.The experiences of these countries and regions can serve as examples to all those in government who strive to improve the performance of their health systems.

Home to the world's most advanced medical practices, the United States spends more on health care than any other country. At the same time, treatment is harder to get in the United States than in most other industrialized nations. Benchmark statistics such as infant mortality and life expectancy reveal a society that is not nearly as healthy as it could be.This comprehensive analysis introduces the various organizations and institutions that make the U.S. health care system work—or fail to work, as the case may be. It identifies historical, social, political, and economic forces that shape this system and create policy dilemmas that are all too familiar. Donald A. Barr examines the structure of American health care and insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. He addresses the shift to for-profit managed care and how it may affect the delivery of care; the pharmaceutical industry and the impact of pharmaceutical policy; issues of long-term care; and the plight of the uninsured. The new edition also covers recent developments in areas such as prescription drugs, medical errors, and nursing shortages.

This companion guide to Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition speeds the diffusion of life-saving knowledge by distilling the contents of the larger volume into an easily read format. Policy makers, practitioners, academics, and other interested readers will get an overview of the messages and analysis in Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition; be alerted to the scope of major diseases; learn strategies to improve policies and choices to implement cost-effective interventions; and locate chapters of immediate interest.

Rebuilding public health and health care delivery systems has been an important component of nation-building efforts conducted after major conflicts. However, few studies have attempted to examine a comprehensive set of cases, compare the quantitative and qualitative results, and outline best practices. The study assesses seven cases of nation-building operations following major conflicts: Germany and Japan immediately after World War II; Somalia, Haiti, and Kosovo in the 1990s; and Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. It concludes that two factors increase the likelihood of successful health outcomes: planning and coordination, and infrastructure and resources. In addition, the study argues that health can have an independent impact on broader political, economic, and security objectives during nation-building operations.

This comprehensive review of the Finnish health care system evaluates financing, service provision, investment, governance, and insurance/payment schemes. Recent reforms are assessed and longer-term challenges such as those posed by technological change, a rapidly ageing population, and rising consumer expectations are evaluated. The review includes a series of recommendations.

The Institute of Medicine: Adviser to the Nation -- Highlighted reports -- Global health and infectious disease -- Health sciences and the research enterprise -- Ensuring food safety and proper nutrition -- Assuring the public's health -- Health care delivery system and performance capabilities -- Human security and bioterrorism -- Military personnel and veterans -- Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships Program -- Senior nurse scholar program -- Recent and upcoming reports.

Reports on lectures which identified and recommended implementation of projects that would deal with critical problems facing our health care system.

Health care should be provided efficiently, given the potential gains for patients and the population and the high cost of some kinds of care. Emphasizing the most cost-effective services can in principle attain the greatest health gains. Policies are implemented through tools available to policy makers, particularly those in government who can influence not only public expenditure and service delivery but also how private insurers and providers allocate resources among diseases and individuals. Example's of tools that nudge a health system toward greater value for money, while respecting fair.

At head of title: Human Development Network.

Prepared by the Committee on Health Planning Goals and Standards.