Electronic data interchange: a strategic approach

The potential of EDI is virtually unlimited, but the success of any EDI initiative hinges on its ability to directly support strategies that achieve your institution's business objectives. At its most fundamental level, EDI technology automates current business practices, speeding up the exchange of business information. This application of EDI most often is found in a hospital's material management department. But EDI integrated internally within a hospital and externally with suppliers and vendors has the potential to go beyond simple automation and to transform processes. This is where the full value of EDI can be realized. No matter which level of EDI participation hospital management decides is appropriate to fulfill its business objectives and strategies, EDI will affect the entire institution's exchange of information with its internal and external audiences. The question management must answer is: Will the hospital's EDI strategy be offensive and managed, or defensive and reactive? Today's environment leaves no room for a "no-strategy" EDI option. The options are either to proactively shape EDI, or reactively play catch-up. EDI can work for you. Adequately developing an EDI game plan in support of your business objectives and calling on your suppliers and other trading partners to work with you will ensure EDI is an asset to your facility.     

Practicing in a fish bowl

Intent on recovering "overpayments" to doctors, private insurers are turning to on-site practice audits. Here's a survival guide for these quasi-legal skirmishes.     

2001年国际承包商经营动向

在疲软的市场中,更重要的是利润而不是数量     

艾滋病与经济

本文系为世界卫生组织宏观经济和卫生委员会第一工作组撰写,文章原名为Aids & Economics,原载于http://www.iaen.org/files.cgi/7055_bloom_economics.pdf(2001年11月)。翻译此文,是基于世界范围内的艾滋病流行,给各国经济和社会发展都造成了严重影响。中国在经济实现快速增长的同时,也面临着所获成果有被艾滋病吞噬的危险。本文作者利用20世纪80年代及90年代初的调查数据,从宏观及微观的角度就HIV/AIDS对柬埔寨、越南及非洲一些国家的经济所造成的影响进行了回顾,分析了二者之间错综复杂的关系;同时以泰国为例探讨了预防艾滋病病毒感染所可能带来的经济收益,呼吁各国增加对艾滋病防治工作的投入。译者切望通过本文能够引起更多人对艾滋病防治问题的关注,增加对公共卫生领域的财政和人力投入。     

金融自由化的利弊

金融压抑的兴起与民粹主义、国家主义和国家于上主义相联的。在金融压无抑的情况下，许多国家的经济状况进一步恶化。于是，随着金融业管制的放松，更为广泛的国内经济自由化和对外开放得以实现。但利率自由化经常伴随着危机的爆发或者引发危机。然而，对于任何一个希望完全分建设者经济增长利益的国家来说，建立一个实质性的金融自由化体系是惟一可行的出路。