Hospital Administration Books

Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids

Julie Salamon

Amazon Price: $17.13 List Price: $25.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin Press HC, The Amazon Marketplace: 100 new & used starting at $2.88

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> State & Local -> New York
Subjects -> Medicine -> Administration & Policy -> Health Care Delivery
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Medicine

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A bestselling author and award winning journalist follows a year in the life of a big urban hospital, painting a revealing portrait of how medical care is delivered in America today

Most people agree that there are complicated issues at play in the delivery of health care today, but those issues may not always be what we think they are. In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-theart, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Determined to understand the whole spectrum of factors that determine what kind of medical care people receive in this country, bestselling author Julie Salamon spent one year tracking the progress of the center and getting to know the characters who make the hospital run. Located in a community where sixty-seven different languages are spoken, Maimonides is a case study for the particular kinds of concerns that arise in institutions that serve an increasingly multicultural American demographic. Granted an astonishing “warts and all” level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon followed the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground—what happens between doctors and patients—but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day.

Drawing on her skills as interviewer, observer, and social critic, Salamon presents the story of modern medicine, uniquely viewed from the vantage point of those who make it run. She draws out the internal and external political machinations that exist between doctors and staff as well as between hospital and community. And she grounds the science and emotion of medical drama in the financial realities of operating a huge, private institution that must contend with issues like adapting to the specific needs of immigrant groups that make up a large and growing portion of our society.

Salamon exposes struggles of both the profound and humdrum variety. There are bitter internal feuds, warm personal connections, comedy, egoism, greed, love, and loss. There are rabbinic edicts to contend with as well as imams and herbalists and local politicians. There are system foul-ups that keep blood test results from being delivered on time, careless record keepers, shortages of everything except forms to fill, recalcitrant and greedy insurance reimbursement systems, and the surprising difficulty of getting doctors to wash their hands.

This is the dynamic universe of small and large concerns and personalities that, taken together, determine the nature of our care and assume the utmost importance. As Martin Payson—chairman of the board at Maimonides and ex-Time-Warner vice chairman—puts it: “Hospitals have a lot in common with the movie business. You’ve got your talent, entrepreneurs, ambition, ego stroking, the business versus the creative part. The big difference is that in the hospital you don’t get second takes. Movies are make-believe. This is real life.”

Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery.

Beverly Conyers

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Hazelden Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $8.19

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Alcoholism
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Recovery -> Substance Abuse
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Self-Help -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Inspiring, if predictable at times 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book is analagous to a well-stocked pantry filled with provisions as well as the implements needed to put these resources to good use. The essence of the author's message appears to be based on the 12-Step prototype. If "Addict in the Family" contains any weakness at all, it might be the author's tendency to do it all by "The Book," including peppering the account with various references to 12-step doctrines, adages and buzzwords. A reader who is already familiar with the steps might find this format to be slightly repetitious and fairly predictable.

Through the author's story of her daughter's addiction as well as accounts given to her by other parents and loved ones of addicts, we are able to contemplate, if not feel, the pernicious grip that addiction has on everyone in the addict's circle. What follows are examples of every- day situations family members face as a result of their loved ones' addictions. We are given examples of strategies and responses that are helpful in managing or deflecting the often irrational behavior of the addict.

There is a dash of irony in the lessons that gently simmer throughout the book. While the addicted family member tends to exhibit certain obsessions surrounding his substances of choice, the author deftly conjures up a mirror image of the addict's loved one. In this dual depiction it becomes clear that the addict's family member often becomes susceptible to some of the same traits exhibited by the addict: we are reminded by the writer, ever so gently, that there are, perhaps, more similarities than differences between our addicts and ourselves. The tiny germs of irony come spilling out like so many tears: Just as our addict feels a sense of unremitting shame, so do we. Our addict is angry, and so are we. The addicted ones are depressed, sad and despondent, and we are, too.

Addicts tend to fall into the habit of concealing their ignoble behavior beneath a convincing enough topping of lies, subterfuge and denial. It appears that we family members, in the beginning, at least, are willing - even eager - to believe the fantastic multi-layered cake of deception towering in front of us. The facade that all is well is an appealing one, especially as one becomes initiated to the instability of living with a person who is also an addict. It is in this effort to achieve a measure of sanity that the addicted person's loved one often crumbles from the heat and the turbulence.

As we continue to glean sustenance from the author's kernels of wisdom, it becomes all too apparent that we, along with our addicted loved ones, are being poisoned by the unsavory byproducts of addiction.

This book offers suggestions to the family and loved ones of addicts, and these methods require us to exchange our toxic coating of negativity and denial for one that nourishes us - physically, mentally, spiritually and economically - without distorting our reality. The author recalls a time when her daughter, upon being asked of her whereabouts that evening, proceeds to concoct one of her characteristically tall tales. Although the mother knew her daughter was lying, she refrained from voicing those suspicions. Instead, she allowed her daughter to finish, while she remained impassive and unprovoked, thereby empowering herself and disarming her daughter in the process.

Setting rules and limits for the addict is another mechanism suggested in the book as a way to safeguard our overall wellbeing. Asking the addict to move out should his behavior become too disruptive or disturbing - and carrying out the order - is one more example of disengaging from our addicted love ones. There are many other inspiring stories included in the book along with helpful advice, hope and encouragement from those who have been where we, the families of an addict, are now.

At the end of the book, there are pages with listings of substance abuse facilities, mental health treatment centers, dual diagnosis rehabs, detox centers, and services for the families of the chemically addicted. It is a very comprehensive list for those who are looking for help in dealing with an addiction, whether it be a loved one's or their own.

Editorial Review:

Witnessing the addiction of a family member or loved one is a heart-rending experience. But hope can prevail, as shown in this compelling new book. Here, the gripping stories of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters of addicts offer important lessons on loving, detachment, intervention, and self care.

The Journey: A Practical Guide to Healing Your Life and Setting Yourself Free

Brandon Bays

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atria Amazon Marketplace: 91 new & used starting at $1.80

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Alternative Medicine -> Healing
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Self-Help -> Personal Transformation
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

She didn't have Cancer 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The main advertising for this book & 'The Journey' therapy keeps making out that she had cancer.

She didn't have cancer, she had a tumor.
What does that mean? A tumor is just a swelling or a lump of any kind, it doesn't have to be cancerous.
Notice, she never states in the book she had cancer, because *she didn't*.
In her case, it sounds like a Uterine Fibroids (go google it). If you really want to be technical, a Subserosal uterine fibroid given that it was growing into her belly. I've seen reports that 50% of women over 35 have these growths, but they're usually small.
Brandon Bay on the other hand, was so in denial, so dismissive and rejecting of *standard* medical treatment, so sure that she was living a holistic life, so spiritually aware and positive and healthy, that she didn't do anything about it until it was apparently the size of a *basket-ball* (taking her word for it only here).
And of course, so caught up in her self-image as a spiritual and health expert, that she didn't admit to anyone, not her friends, what was happening.
I'm not so sure she's changed.

To explain the tumor a little more - sometimes, growth of these is caused by excess estrogen. if that is causing it, then going off HRT, and not taking any say, estrogen-enhancing supplements etc (as are quite commonly used in new age circles) will cause them to shrink again. Also, one of the treatments for is ultrasound to break up the fibroid mass - so, massage would be slightly effective for this. And of course, they often just get smaller on their own.

And now, she's presenting this 'new' healing method, that she should have been familiar with for years given the fields she was involved with, but instead, must somehow have been reeeaaally ineffective all those years, because she'd never had any emotional breakthroughs before, it only *worked* after having been really foolhardy with her own health, and now she uses this as example of transformation, while scarily and misleadingly presenting it in terms most people will think of as 'cancer', to present herself as an expert in spirituality and health - a guru.
Hmmmmmm....

Disclaimer: I'm not even a Doctor, I just know what Uterine Fibroids are. And the cancer thing really bugged me.

Editorial Review:

This is a book about Freedom

All of us sense that deep inside lies huge potential. We long to experience it, yet something holds us back. We long to set ourselves free, but we don't know how. In this book, you finally learn how.

When Brandon Bays was diagnosed with a basketball-sized tumor in her uterus, she was catapulted into an extraordinary, soul searching journey. Determined to heal naturally, she took no drugs, underwent no surgery; but six and-a-half weeks later she was declared tumor-free. Going beyond current mind-body wisdom, she discovered a powerful means to get direct access to the soul--the unconditional love, the boundless peace, the living presence within us--and pioneered a revolutionary paradigm for healing. Tens of thousands worldwide have since used The Journey™ to awaken to their own infinite potential and free themselves from lifelong emotional blocks and physical illnesses.

Beyond Anxiety and Phobia: A Step-by-Step Guide to Lifetime Recovery

Edmund J. Bourne

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Harbinger Publications Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $5.78

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> Anxiety Disorders
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Mental Health -> Mood Disorders
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Self-Help -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Helps learn about yourself and others 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I never look to books to give me the ultimate answer. If I learn something from it and can apply it in some way to my life, and if it's writen well enough to keep me interested, it's worth it. This book was very good that way, at least for someone who likes philosopical/psychological stuff.

I've been diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder, and had a bout of depression last year. A very good therapist recommended this to me. In fact, she said that I HAD TO buy it. I did, and learned a lot about various types and triggers for anxiety. The more I learn about it, the easier for me to deal with it. It became a familiar, known side of me, and when I can separate the rest of me from it and look at it, and study it, it becomes less and less relevant. Which is what we all want, right?

And, it helped me understand other types of psychological issues. I don't suffer from all of those, thankfully, but it is sure interesting to learn how those work. Anyway, it's a good read. Enjoy!

Editorial Review:

Much of anxiety therapy is designed as quick, focused intervention, treating a specific syndrome without looking at the possibility of long- term healing. However, true recovery requires something more: understanding the meaning of anxiety symptoms and going deeper to face their underlying sources in a holistic and life-changing way. Beyond Anxiety and Phobia provides an array of alternative strategies for entering this long-term healing mode; describes alternative therapies such as herbs, yoga, massage, acupuncture, and homeopathy; and addresses the impact of perfectionism and other personality issues.

A Second Opinion: Rescuing America's Health Care

Dr. Arnold Relman

Amazon Price: $16.32 List Price: $24.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: PublicAffairs Amazon Marketplace: 66 new & used starting at $7.24

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Personal Health -> General AAS
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The U.S. healthcare system is failing. It is run like a business, increasingly focused on generating income for insurers and providers rather than providing care for patients. It is supported by investors and private markets seeking to grow revenue and resist regulation, thus contributing to higher costs and lessened public accountability. Meanwhile, forty-six million Americans are without insurance. Health care expenditures are rising at a rate of 7 percent a year, three times the rate of inflation.

Dr. Arnold Relman is one of the most respected physicians and healthcare advocates in our country. This book, based on sixty years' experience in medicine, is a clarion call not just to politicians and patients but to the medical profession to evolve a new structure for healthcare, based on voluntary private contracts between individuals and not-for-profit, multi-specialty groups of physicians. Physicians would be paid mainly by salaries and would submit no bills for their services. All health care facilities would be not-for-profit. The savings from reduced administrative overhead and the elimination of billing fraud would be enormous. Healthcare may be our greatest national problem, but the provocative, sensible arguments in this book will provide a catalyst for change.

Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction

Mark Graban

Amazon Price: $40.50 List Price: $45.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Productivity Press Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $40.11

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Subjects -> Medicine -> Administration & Policy -> Health Care Delivery
Subjects -> Medicine -> Administration & Policy -> Hospital Administration
Subjects -> Medicine -> Administration & Policy -> Public Health

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Waiting for a long time 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Lean Hospitals is a book I have been waiting to be written since 2004 when I first began teaching Lean to healthcare professionals. I just wish I had it four years ago. The book is fast read and does a nice job bridging Lean concepts and principles into the healthcare environment through examples and stories. Additionally, the book does not just focus on the tools Lean, but also the management system. This is a prerequisite for me before I will purchase any book to share with my senior leadership team (I just ordered a copy for the entire team).

Editorial Review:

Drawing on his years of working with hospitals, Mark Graban explains why and how lean can be used to improve safety, quality, and efficiency in a healthcare setting. After highlighting the benefits of lean methods for patients, employees, physicians, and the hospital itself, he explains how lean manufacturing staples such as Value Stream Mapping and process observation can help hospital personnel identify and eliminate waste in their own processes, effectively preventing delays for patients, reducing wasted motion for caregivers, and improving the quality of care. Additionally, Graban describes how Standardized Work and error-proofing can prevent common hospital errors and details root cause problem-solving and daily improvement processes that can engage all personnel in systemic improvement. A unique guide for healthcare professionals, this book clearly elaborates the steps they can take to begin the proactive process of lean implementation.