Pharmaceuticals constitute a relatively small share of the total Health Care expenditure in most developed economies, and yet they play a critical role in the ongoing debate over how best to advance, improve, and afford Health Care. Despite this, and perhaps because of this, the industry has had, for many years, an outsized claim to fame and controversy, praise and criticisms, and support and condemnation. Unfortunately, many participants in the debate do not fully understand the complexities of the industry and its role in the overall Health Care system. The analytical tools of economics provide a strong foundation for a better understanding of the dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry, its contribution to Health and Health Care, and its dual and often conflicting priorities of affordability and innovation, as well as the various Private and Public Policy initiatives directed at the sector. Everyone is affected by Big Pharma and the products they produce. At the Drug store, the physician’s office, in front of the television, in everyday conversations, Drugs are a part of our lives. Society shapes our values toward Drugs and Drugs shape society. ("The Pill" and minor tranquilizers are good examples.) And, of course, the way Congress deliberates and Big Pharma responds has a huge impact on how Drugs affect our lives. This book is well-researched on the subject of the pharmaceutical industry, its struggles with Government, and its relationship to the consumer from the early twentieth century until the present. The Dynamic Tension between the three participants – Government, Big Pharma, and the People – is described and explained to lead to an understanding of the controversies that rage today. The author describes how the Government, its many investigatory efforts, and the ultimate legislative results affect the industry and the consequences of their activities are explored in light of their effects on other players, including the patients and consumers who rely on both Government and Big Pharma for their well-being and who find sometimes unexpected consequences while giving special attention to the attitudes, beliefs, and misadventures of less-than-optimal Drug use. Stakeholders are identified with physicians as a major focus, as well as describing the significance of prescriptions as social objects and the processes by which physicians make choices on behalf of their patients. The author ties it all together with how Big Pharma affects and is affected by each of these groups. The author utilizes his 50-plus years’ experience as an academic, practicing pharmacist, and Big Pharma employee to describe the scope of the pharmaceutical industry and how it affects us on a daily basis, concluding with an inside look at Big Pharma and how regulations, marketing, and the press have affected their business, both good and bad.

This fully updated and revised 12th edition of the highly acclaimed textbook on health care delivery provides graduate and undergraduate students with a comprehensive survey of health care in the United States ranging in topics from the organization of care, the politics surrounding healthcare in the United States, to population health and vulnerable populations, healthcare costs and value, health care financing, and health information technology. Chapters provide thorough coverage of the rapid changes that are reshaping our system and the extent of our nation’s achievement of health care value and the Triple Aim: better health and better care at a lower cost. With an emphasis on population health and public health, this text includes a timely focus on how social and physical environments influence health outcomes. Prominent scholars, practitioners, and educators within public health, population health, health policy, healthcare management, medical care, and nursing present the most up-to-date evidence-based information on social and behavioral determinants of health and health equity, immigrant health, healthcare workforce challenges, preventative medicine, innovative approaches to control health care costs, initiatives to achieve high quality and value-based care, and much more. Designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students of health care management and administration, nursing, and public health, the text addresses all complex core issues surrounding our health care system and health policy, such as the challenges to health care delivery, the organization and politics of care, and comparative health systems. Organized in a readable and accessible format, contributors provide an in-depth and objective appraisal of why and how we organize health care the way we do, the enormous impact of health-related behaviors on the structure, function, and cost of the health care delivery system, and other emerging and recurrent issues in health policy, healthcare management, and public health. The 12th edition features the contributions of such luminaries as former editor Anthony R. Kovner, Michael K. Gusmano, Carolyn M. Clancy, Marc N. Gourevitch, Joanne Spetz, James Morone, Karen DeSalvo, and Christy Harris Lemak, among others. Chapters include audio chapter summaries with discussion of newsworthy topics, learning objectives, discussion questions, case exercises, and new charts and tables with concrete health care data. Included for instructors are an Instructor’s Manual, PowerPoint slides, Syllabus, Test Bank, Image Bank, Supplemental e-chapter on a Visual Overview of Health Care Delivery, access to an annual ACA update and health policy changes, extra cases and syllabi specifically for nurses, and a transition guide bridging the 11th and 12th editions. Key Features: Three completely revised chapters on the politics of health care, vulnerable populations, and health information technology Chapter authors with expertise in Health Administration and Management, Public Health, Health Policy, Medical Care and Nursing Expanded coverage on population health and population health management, health equity, influences of social determinants on health behavior and outcomes, health education planning, health workforce challenges, national and regional quality improvement initiatives and more Revised e-Chapters providing a Visual Overview of Health Care Delivery with image bank and Springer Publishing’s annual ACA update Audio podcasts provide summaries for each chapter and provide real-world context of topics featured in the news New Appendix on Overview of U.S. Public Health Agencies Access to fully searchable eBook, including extra e-chapters and student ancillaries on Springer Connect Full Instructor Packet including Instructor’s Manual, Test Bank, PowerPoint slides, Image Bank, Case Exercises for Nursing Instructors