Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Organizations: Functions and Management, Fourth Edition

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Spring 2000 by Mullins, C Daniel

ROBERT M. SLOANE, BEVERLY LEBOV SLOANE, RICHARD K. HARDER. Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Organizations: Functions and Management, Fourth Edition. Chicago IL: Health Administration Press, 1999. x 223 pp. $45.00.

This book provides a good reference for individuals seeking information on various topics of interest to healthcare delivery organizations and comprehendible definitions for the nomenclature related to their functions and management. In its fourth edition, new terms have been added and the authors provide good insight into the history and future of the U.S. Healthcare System. The book would be useful for the student who seeks future employment in a healthcare delivery organization, but is too cursory to be used as a text for a class.

The authors deliver what is promised in the title by giving a very broad overview of healthcare delivery organizations, but the focus on breadth of topics leaves the reader without much depth in any one particular area. The book could be described as an encyclopedia of healthcare delivery vocabulary with very lay descriptions of terminology. To their credit, the authors provide a list of suggested readings for individuals who seek more in-depth coverage of topics but these readings tend to be general in nature as well.

There is no shortage of topics included by the authors. A wide array of healthcare services, ranging from professional, diagnostic and therapeutic to administrative services, are described. In addition, an entire chapter is devoted to the role and application of automation. Poignant and practical discussion of management principles and practices are included. The highlight of the book is that it places modern healthcare delivery in an historical context by demonstrating how we arrived to where we are today. Those who read the book with a keen interest in the topic, however, will be left yearning for additional reading.

C. Daniel Mullins

University of Maryland