"The chapters to follow have been written as a textbook in health care management and policy. The book may serve as an introduction to problems and issues in U.S. health care for people entering related professional fields. It is also intended for use by people already experienced in a specialized area of management, policy, or patient care for attaining perspective on the system as a whole. Every day, millions of Americans encounter challenges in locating and paying for services and obtaining care of the highest quality for themselves or their loved ones. Many are led to wonder how health care operates "behind the scenes," why an essential service should involve such difficulties, and what steps might be taken towards the system's improvement. This book is intended primarily for students. But it is also a factual resource for citizens, clinicians, and officials seeking to better understand and improve health care in the United States. For no reader will the material presented here be entirely new. Without exception, everyone reading these pages will have experienced health care as a consumer. It is hoped that this book will help readers of any background see their experience as part of a large, complex, and ever-changing system. An improved view of where the reader's experience fits within this firmament will enable her or him to better render direct service, manage human and material resources, influence policy, and utilize health care for his or her own needs"-- Provided by publisher.