By Richard M. Scheffler | Published in 2008 by Stanford University Press | Link to Book Website
This book explores American’s bedrock healthcare concern – “Will there be a doctor―a good doctor―when I need one?” In this concise and readable analysis, Scheffler goes beyond the guessing game to demonstrate that today’s health care system is the product of financial influences in both the policy realm and on the ground in the offices of medical centers, HMOs, insurers, and physicians throughout America. He shows how factors such as physician income, medical training costs, and new technologies affect the specialties and geographic distribution of doctors. As part of his vision of tomorrow’s ideal workforce, he offers a template for enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the health care system overall. In the groundbreaking second half of the book, Scheffler tests his ideas in conversations with leading figures in health policy, medical education, health economics, and physician practice. Their unguarded give-and-take offers a window on the best thinking currently available anywhere.