New Book

I have been reading a new book lately entitled, "The Innovator's Prescription" - a work by Clayton Christensen, one of my favorite authors. This book looks at the ongoing debate over the reform of health care and makes some really startling and informative statements. I am using the book as a reference work for a research paper I am working on, so the reading has taken on more intent than was original.

The basic problem, according to Christensen, is that we are using a "fee for service" basis for our government paid systems already (Medicare and Medicaid). This type of system means the more service you provide, the more you get paid, so anyone would certainly provide as much service as the law would allow. Additionally, we have hospitals ("solution shops" in Christensen's venacular) that are not only trying to do hospital work, but are also trying to do focused work and rules based medicine. When you have one organization trying to live up to three separate business models, inefficiencies abound.

It is a great book, and puts a whole new twist onto the debate over health care reform. One point is clear, according to Christensen, that government will never be able to reform health care, and it should not even try.

Get the book, read it and start your own little revolution.