Finding a lasting cure for U.S. health care

In "Making Competition in Health Care Work" (July-August 1994), Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg, Michael E. Porter, and Gregory B. Brown ask a question that has been absent from the national debate on health care reform: How can the United States achieve sustained cost reductions while at the same time maintaining quality of care? The authors argue that innovation driven by rigorous competition is the key to successful reform. A lasting cure for health care in the United States should include four basic elements: corrected incentives to spur productive competition, universal insurance to secure economic efficiency, relevant information to ensure meaningful choice, and innovation to guarantee dynamic improvement. In this issue's Perspectives section, eleven experts examine the current state of the health care system and offer their views on the shape that reform should take. Some excerpts: "On the road to innovation, let us not forget to develop the tools that allow physicians, payers, and patients to make better decisions." I. Steven Udvarhelyi; "Health care is not a product or service that can be standardized, packaged, marketed, or adequately judged by consumers according to quality and price." Arnold S. Relman; "Just as antitrust laws are the wise restraints that make competition free in other sectors of the economy, so the right kind of managed competition can work well in health care." Edward M. Kennedy "Biomedical research should be considered primarily an investment in the national economic well-being with additional humanitarian benefits." Elizabeth Marincola.     

Empowering the managed care consumer: not as easy as it sounds

Managed care remains one of the most highly publicized issues in employee benefits, with its accompanying controversy causing concern to the consumer and the employer. The authors of this article discuss the very basic things consumers of health benefits should know about their plans in order to be prepared, as well as what they should reasonably expect from employers that sponsor the plans.     

中国上海会计信息化30年回顾

一、概述 2008年，是我国改革开放30周年，也是我国会计信息化发展的30年。随着改革开放的深入发展和市场经济的日新月异，原先的会计电算化早已今非旨比。我们国产的各种会计信息化软件也逐步进入国际竞争的大循环，为国家的经济建设贡献了一份力量。     

Spousal surcharge programs--an overview

Spousal surcharge programs help employers whose goal is to provide "above-average" health benefit plans by limiting the potential "financial leakage" liabilities from covering the spouses of employees who are eligible for other health care coverage. Spousal surcharge programs are just one alternative available to help employers manage the rising cost of providing health care coverage to dependents. This article explores the prevalence, plan design, financial implications, administrative and other considerations in implementing a spousal surcharge program.     

Seven key elements of a successful implementation, and eight mistakes you will make anyway

I know your company is unique. No one else has to deal with the problems/products/processes/procedures/people that your have to deal with. I know that you have searched the literature and attended conferences hoping to find information relevant to your company. Well, this is your lucky day. This article has been designed specifically for the unique company.     

Making your meetings count

In the article, the author outlines and discusses techniques that he has found useful in planning productive meetings. To be successful, a meeting has to be planned around a specific objective. A goal should be set before the meeting, a related plan should be formulated, and feedback should be provided to ensure the achievement of this goal. Tombari classifies meetings as educational, informational, or decisional, and applies his broad principles to these specific settings. In meetings called to educate participants, it is recommended that the leader: (1) prepare brief remarks about a well defined topic supplemented by audio or visual aids; (2) open the meeting up for discussion; and (3) comment on the learning experience following general discussion. In an informal "action" meeting, the leader is acting as a monitor or disseminator and must be well versed on the topic. The author recommends that general participation be limited. When the purpose of the meeting is to reach a decision, the leader's tasks are to: (1) articulate the problem facing the group; (2) demonstrate the urgency; (3) clarify the need for a group decision; (4) seek as many suggestions as possible; (5) help formulate alternative solutions; and (6) try to bring about a consensus. Despite the differences in the types of meetings and the approaches required, it is concluded that a successful meeting is dependent on careful planning and management.