[schema type=”review” url=”knowlengr.com” name=”In Search of the Perfect Health Care System” description=”Commentary on a book by Britnell surveying health care systems” rev_name=”In Search of the Perfect Health Care System” author=”Knowlengr” pubdate=”2015-11-11″ ]
Unhappiness over the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA / Obamacare) comes as much from the left as from the right. To learn what was right about the ACA, and how US healthcare being done better elsewhere. a book by KPMG’s Mark Britnell attempts to look at the global big picture — using an IT analyst-like “best of breed” survey.
In Search of the Perfect Health Care System (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) gives that a try.
The publisher’s synopsis:
Have you ever imagined what a truly great health system could look like? Over the past six years, author Mark Britnell has worked in 60 countries – covering eight-tenths of the world’s GDP – with hundreds of government, public and private healthcare organisations. With chapters on 25 different countries, including Brazil, China and the USA, his practical, succinct guide to the world’s major health systems explores what lessons can be drawn from each to improve health worldwide.This insightful and informative exploration of health systems around the world will give you a truly global health perspective.
Fierce Healthcare’s editor summarized the twelve components of Britnell’s book in a recent editorial as: universal, emphasizing primary care excellence, community level services, mental health, patient self-responsibility, health promotion, R&D, research diffusion, IT support, choice, patient empowerment, effective funding levels, elder care. Paraphrasing is mine.
Glad to see patient empowerment on the list, but the list length reflects an unavoidable complexity.
Britnell was interviewed by Leonard Lopate in November 2015.