Reshaping Health Systems

Joshua M. Liao

Jonathan A. Staloff

Joseph H. Joo

• Provides foundational knowledge about health systems and a toolbox of solutions for improving care delivery
• Includes takeaways and multiple-choice questions to reinforce key concepts and learning points
• Illuminates how systems factors can influence health care access, cost, quality, and equity
• Uses a case-based approach to provide a point-of-care guide
• Presents systems factors that influence care delivery across clinicians and care settings (e.g., ambulatory, emergency, hospital, postacute)
• Illustrates systems solutions that can be used to improve care delivery from fields such as quality improvement, change management, design thinking, and implementation science
• Serves as an ideal resource for clinicians across specialties and fulfills ACGME requirements for systems-based practice and quality improvement

"This book is an essential resource for medical students and residents. It bridges a crucial gap in medical education by comprehensively addressing policy and care delivery topics relevant to health care systems, but typically overlooked in clinical training. The book’s structure, divided into understanding systemic factors and exploring actionable solutions, equips future clinicians with the policy knowledge to drive meaningful change in their practices. As a national expert in health policy, I highly recommend this book for its clarity, depth, and practical relevance in transforming health care delivery."

Renee Crichlow, MD
Chair of the Commission on Federal and State Policy
American Academy of Family Physicians

"This book is essential reading for any policy-interested clinician and a must-read for anyone aiming to improve health care in the United States. It highlights the challenges that plague health care in this country and proposes effective solutions, educating clinicians on policy and health system structures influencing care delivery while providing practical tools for making changes in clinical settings."

Yalda Jabbarpour, MD
Director, Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care
 

"So much of health care is overly complicated and difficult to navigate, not just for patients but also, surprisingly, for many clinicians. Liao, Staloff, and Joo lean into this challenge and their book offers a fresh, clear, and relatable explanation for why US health care works the way it does, and how to make it better. With practical case studies that will be familiar to most people, the authors bring their real-world experiences and expertise to answer questions you always had but were afraid to ask.

There are no panaceas in health policy or care delivery. Better care will come through dedicated effort from many individuals and groups across many policy and practice domains. This book acknowledges and serves as a resource for this reality. It should be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand and improve the health care system."

Vivian S. Lee, MD, PhD, MBA
Healthcare and Health Tech Executive
Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School
Former President, Verily Health Platforms (Alphabet)
Author, The Long Fix: Solving America’s Health Care Crisis With Strategies That Work for Everyone


“If you want to be a good clinician in the modern health care system, it is no longer enough to know which medications to prescribe or tests to order; you must also know how to help patients navigate complicated systems of care to promote their health. If you want to be a great clinician, you also need skills to improve those systems of care. This book masterfully covers both knowledge and skills, buoying complex concepts by constantly tying them to the experiences of a patient and a clinician. If every health professional reads this book, care in the United States would immeasurably improve.”

Christopher Moriates, MD
Executive Director, Costs of Care
 

"Troves of books and articles have been written about the failings of health care delivery systems and the necessary interventions to transform them. Most offer only partial explanations of the challenges and one-size-fits-all solutions. In this important new book, Liao, Staloff, and Joo take a human-centered approach, looking at all of the complex systems factors in health care through the experiences of patients and the clinicians seeking to serve them. The authors offer a simple yet comprehensive tool kit for creating productive change to support the needs of people giving and receiving care, all organized around a chapter-by-chapter learning system. This book is a must-have resource for students, teachers, and leaders interested in how to make health care safer, of higher quality, and, ultimately, better."

Read G. Pierce, MD
Chief Quality, Safety, and Transformation Officer
Denver Health

“Efforts to improve US health care must focus on creating a more just system that addresses the health disparities of historically underserved communities. Liao, Staloff, and Joo emphasize this in their book, highlighting equity as a crucial element. They identify key factors shaping health care and propose strategies for change, consistently considering the impact on disparities, access, quality, and costs. The authors’ clinical, scholarly, and leadership experience adds significant value for health care leaders, clinicians, and trainees. The book’s main contribution is not just presenting solutions to reshape health care but also emphasizing that these solutions should enhance health equity alongside overall outcomes. It encourages readers to internalize this wisdom and work toward reshaping care within their own clinical environments."

Kavita P. Bhavan, MD, MHS
Chief Innovation Officer
Parkland Health