A System in Crisis: Finding a Solution for Health Care in America

• How to bring the delivery of medical care into the 21st century.
  
• What to do about the 40 or 50 million Americans who are uninsured.
  
• The "best practice" of rewarding prevention, rather than treatment, to thwart disease.
  

Robert Pearl believes that we can significantly lower the costs and raise the quality of America's health care, but he knows the solutions won't come easily. While individual health practitioners are doing their best, the overall delivery system is broken. Within a legislative and economic climate that hinders reform, health care continues to follow the 19th century practices of a cottage industry, rather than capitalizing on advances in information technology that could encourage integrated, collaborative care. The answer requires leadership, commitment, and a shared vision for the future. Dr. Pearl's goal is a health care system that provides every patient with the same kind of care that each of us would want for our family, our friends—and ourselves.

Robert Pearl is CEO of the largest medical group in the nation. He has published over 100 articles in medical journals, and has served as visiting professor at Stanford Business School, Duke University School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health. He received his MD from Yale University School of Medicine.