Code Green

Everyone in America has or will interact with our healthcare system in one way or another, and this book details the ways in which hospital systems are now working to reduce costs by reducing care--often at the expense of patient interests. New "value-based" models, widely embraced by industry and policymakers alike, actually increase this risk. Fortunately, there are ways in which patients, all of us, can reduce our risk and improve our care. The US is moving rapidly in an uncharted direction that is unlike anything we've ever seen before in the US or anywhere in the world. Code Green: How the BIG LIE in Healthcare Affects Us All lays out the problems we are facing, the history that led us here, the reasons policymakers and hospital executives are enamored with the proposed solutions, and the reasons they are unlikely to benefit patients. Also discussed are comparisons with other systems in other countries and potential solutions both at the policy level and for individual patients who will be forced to endure the next several years of turmoil. Finally, practical advice for patients is provided throughout the book.