Patients Charting The Course

As past, current, or future patients, the public should be the health care system's unwavering focus and serve as change agents in its care. Taking this into account, the quality of health care should be judged not only by whether clinical decisions are informed by the best available scientific evidence, but also by whether care is tailored to a patient's individual needs and perspectives. However, too often it is provider preference and convenience, rather than those of the patient, that drive what care is delivered. As part of its Learning Health System series of workshops, the Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care hosted a workshop to assess the prospects for improving health and lowering costs by advancing patient involvement in the elements of a learning health system.

"'Charting the Course' is the sequel to John J. Nance's best-selling, award-winning novel "Why Hospitals Should Fly". John Nance and his wife, Kathleen Bartolomew, have co-written the continuing story of Dr. Will Jenkins as he takes over the leadership the fictional Las Vegas Memorial Hospital. John Nance and Kathleen Bartholomew address head-on how to become a top-level institution by illuminating the norms of the current hospital culture and then demonstrating how each member of every medical facility, regardless of rank, must be a leader and owner of the cultural revolution needed to keep their hospital system viable and their patients safe. Whereas "Why Hospitals Should Fly" dealt more with the "why" of a cultural revolution, "Charting the Course" deals more with the "how" of changing an ingrained hospital culture. Study guide provided at end of book." -- publisher.

In the United States, approximately 14 million people have had cancer and more than 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. However, more than a decade after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) first studied the quality of cancer care, the barriers to achieving excellent care for all cancer patients remain daunting. Care often is not patient-centered, many patients do not receive palliative care to manage their symptoms and side effects from treatment, and decisions about care often are not based on the latest scientific evidence. The cost of cancer care also is rising faster than many sectors of medicine--having increased to $125 billion in 2010 from $72 billion in 2004--and is projected to reach $173 billion by 2020. Rising costs are making cancer care less affordable for patients and their families and are creating disparities in patients' access to high-quality cancer care. There also are growing shortages of health professionals skilled in providing cancer care, and the number of adults age 65 and older--the group most susceptible to cancer--is expected to double by 2030, contributing to a 45 percent increase in the number of people developing cancer. The current care delivery system is poorly prepared to address the care needs of this population, which are complex due to altered physiology, functional and cognitive impairment, multiple coexisting diseases, increased side effects from treatment, and greater need for social support. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis presents a conceptual framework for improving the quality of cancer care. This study proposes improvements to six interconnected components of care: (1) engaged patients; (2) an adequately staffed, trained, and coordinated workforce; (3) evidence-based care; (4) learning health care information technology (IT); (5) translation of evidence into clinical practice, quality measurement and performance improvement; and (6) accessible and affordable care. This report recommends changes across the board in these areas to improve the quality of care. Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis provides information for cancer care teams, patients and their families, researchers, quality metrics developers, and payers, as well as HHS, other federal agencies, and industry to reevaluate their current roles and responsibilities in cancer care and work together to develop a higher quality care delivery system. By working toward this shared goal, the cancer care community can improve the quality of life and outcomes for people facing a cancer diagnosis.

A guide to living positively, standing for what you believe in, loving and living with other people, and honoring the planet.

A number of trends and forces are converging to require change in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) nautical charting mission. The most salient among these are changes in customer requirements, with a growing demand for customized and digital nautical information products; a changing customer base that encompasses uses of nautical charts in conjunction with coastal management, regulation, and development activities; and advances in technologies both for acquiring survey data and for structuring, displaying, analyzing, and disseminating nautical information. This volume assesses the needs of users of nautical information; reviews existing and emerging technologies; and examines major issues associated with information acquisition, chart preparation, and dissemination. The book addresses user requirements for improved nautical chart products, as well as technical and programmatic issues relating to the need for and provision of nautical information.

Strategy is integral to a successful organization. But without strong execution, even a well-defined strategy can fall apart. Executive teams that combine actionable strategy with operational depth are the ones most likely to stay the course and deliver long-standing results. In this book, noted strategy and operational experts Tara Rethore and Catherine Langreney draw from their extensive experience to create one of the most comprehensive collections of tools to aid CEOs and senior executives in bringing strategy to life. Charting the Course emphasizes the value of balancing strategy and operations to set the destination, plan and manage the journey, control momentum, and incorporate learning to do it all over again.

Throughout the United States, increasing numbers of students are being educated in charter schools. Although the educators in these schools may think they are prepared to tackle any problem related to teaching and learning, personnel, financial management, and community relations, many charter schools are overwhelmed by the need for complying with federal rules and regulations while at the same time meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population―most notably those students with disabilities. In Charting the Course, Addie Angelov and David Bateman provide readers with a background in essential aspects of delivering special education services in this unique educational setting. Developed in collaboration with prominent charter school organizations and with the support of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.