Peter Drucker, sometimes called the father of modern management, once commented that health care organizations are the most difficult to manage of all organizations. For example, American health care is defined by legislative mandate yet implemented in the private sector.

Since their first appearance some 20 years ago, "hospitalists" — doctors who manage patient care during a hospital stay — have assumed an increasingly complex role in the healthcare system.

Today's health care leaders are constantly challenged with the seemingly incompatible goals of improving patient care while developing strategies to reign in skyrocketing costs.

If interest in the movie "Sicko" is any indication, insurance woes are moving to the forefront of public concerns. Will we soon see real reform that gives the 45-million Americans with no insurance coverage a safety net?

As more and more states begin targeting insurance reform, the costs and problems they face become increasing evident. Still, the current system of health-insurance coverage in the U.S.

In the event of a disease outbreak or bioterrorist attack, public health officials must make decisions about how to allocate finite medical resources — decisions that impact the spread of the disease and the number of lives lost.

The soaring cost of prescription drugs is a major concern in the United States, but drugs in one important category — biopharmaceuticals, or drugs produced through biotechnology — actually do not cost more in the United States. Michael F.

The healthcare system in the United States has been slowly collapsing over the past 30 years, according to Bradford Kirkman-Liff, professor of health policy and biotechnology at the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Much of the increase in the price of healthcare in the United States can be traced back to technology advances that improve patient outcomes, but are expensive to develop and implement.

Hurricane Katrina delivered an excruciating lesson on "information integration in action, not theory," according to Steve Cooper, chief information officer at the American Red Cross.