Hospitals. What They Are and How They Work

Description

Hospitals: What They Are and How They Work, Fourth Edition, guides healthcare students through the inner workings of one of today’s most complex organizations: the modern acute-care hospital.

From a history of hospitals and health care; to an explanation of the roles of management, physicians, nurses, and staff; to administrative and financial services, this essential text walks readers through every facet of the hospital organization.

Today’s hospital is an exercise in integrative care, interweaving multiple disciplines to deliver superior patient care. Hospitals: What They Are and How They Work, Fourth Edition, explores the vital collaboration between healthcare providers and diverse practices including clinical laboratory science, pharmacy, physical therapy, and social services, while evaluating the relationship of quality, efficiency, and cost.

In this revised edition, new contributing experts augment each chapter with new material on subjects including hospital finance, medical records, nursing, and more.

Hospitals: What They Are and How They Work, Fourth Edition, provides:

• A macro view of the modern hospital organization
• A resource for healthcare students of all types, including those studying medicine, nursing, administration, or management
• An examination of every hospital department and how they all collaborate
• A consistent, seamless chapter framework for easy instruction

Key Features

• Provides a comprehensive look at the inner-workings of a modern acute care hospital.
• Features new contributing authors for each chapter—experts on issues such as hospital finance, medical records, laboratory science, nursing, and more.
• Using a consistent framework, the chapters are woven together to provide seamless instruction for your students.
• Begins with a history of hospitals, hospital leadership and the board, then spans to the hands-on care-givers such as the medical staff, nurses, lab, imaging, pharmacy and various therapists, then covers ancillary and support services and the all too important finance division.
• Designed for healthcare students of all types, whether clinical such as medical students, nursing, respiratory, or laboratory, or non-clinical students such as healthcare administration, health information management, or healthcare finance…anyone seeking a macro view of today’s hospital delivery system.

Table of Contents

Part 1 An Overview of Hospitals
Chapter 1 History of Hospitals and Healthcare
Chapter 2 Hospitals and Important Hospital Trends

Part 2 Leadership
Chapter 3 Organizational Structure, the Governing Body, and the CEO

Part 3 Accessing the Hospital
Chapter 4 Doorways into the Hospital

Part 4 The Hospital Team
Chapter 5 The Medical Staff
Chapter 6 Physician Extenders
Chapter 7 Nursing Services
Chapter 8 Older Patients in the Hospital

Part 5 Key Ancillary Services
Chapter 9 Clinical Laboratory and the Pathologist
Chapter 10 Diagnostic Imaging and Therapeutic Radiology Departments
Chapter 11 Physical Therapy
Chapter 12 Respiratory Therapy
Chapter 13 Communication Disorders
Chapter 14 Pharmacy

Part 6 Patient Support Services
Chapter 15 Hospital Essentials
Chapter 16 Social Services
Chapter 17 Health Information Management

Part 7 Facilities Support and Security
Chapter 18 Supporting the Medical Center
Chapter 19 Safeguarding the Hospital

Part 8 Administrative Services and Issues
Chapter 20 Human Resources, Risk Management, Legal Services, and Corporate Compliance
Chapter 21 The Importance of Diversity in a Health Care Organization
Chapter 22 Hospital Accreditation and Liscensing
Chapter 23 Hospital Marketing
Chapter 24 Strategic Planning

Part 9 Hospital Financial Issues
Chapter 25 Finance
Chapter 26 Generating Revenue – 3rd Party Payers by Types and Percentages

Part 10 Evaluating and Insuring the Quality of Care
Chapter 27 Performance Improvement
Chapter 28 The Importance of Bioethics

Appendix A Case Studies
Appendix B Glossary
Appendix C Hospital URLs

About the Author(s)

Donald J. Griffin, MBA, MS, MS, JD, FACHE-Assistant Professor, School of Health Administration, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas

Don spent 20+ years managing hospitals in the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and China. He has been on the faculty of three universities teaching healthcare administration courses and has also practiced law in Texas and Oklahoma.

Don and his wife Polly have made their home in San Marcos, Texas where he is on the faculty of Texas State University teaching courses in the School of Health Administration.

Reviews

"It is easy to see why this book has entered its fourth edition. Despite all the transformational changes in the health care industry over the last several decades, the hospital remains the nexus of most all health care delivery activity. To understand the U.S. health care system requires a full grasp of hospital structure and operations, and that is what available in this book.

In just short of 400 pages, Griffin comprehensively explains every aspect of the hospital. This includes the numerous operational departments, the categories of professional personnel, critical functional areas like marketing, planning, finance, and compliance. Separate chapters are devoted to new challenges facing hospital leaders, like diversity, ethics, and revenue growth.

The writing is succinct and lucid. Each chapter contains references, suggested readings, and review questions. Twenty focused case studies useful for discussion are included at the end of the book."

--George Moseley, III, MBA, JD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University School of Public Health