Reviews
Big Med is an absolute treasure trove of health care antitrust history, offering an important overview of the last two decades of the US health care industry through a competition lens. Its findings will appeal to health systems leaders and health economists alike., David Dranove and Lawton R. Burns offer an exhaustive . . . analysis of the consolidation of US hospitals and the effect it has had on both the cost and quality of health care. . . . As the country tries to rein in the cost of health care, Big Med offers a forceful argument for focusing our attention on hospitals., The book is highly readable, even punctuated with pleasant moments of dry wit... The book also has what I call perfect pitch. It dives deep into the psychology of the various players, accurately explaining their hopes and fears... The authors' perfect pitch--knowing exactly what the various players are thinking and feeling, and why--merges into the book's third great value: the book rings true., David Dranove and Lawton Burn's new collaboration Big Med: Megaproviders and the High Cost of Health Care in America provides readers with a comprehensive tutorial on consolidation in United States healthcare markets over the past 40 years. . . . anyone with a serious interest in the prices of U.S. healthcare will want to have this rigorous and timely treatment on their bookshelf., For years, allies of big medicine have argued that Bigger is Better. Dranove and Burns take on that argument and show it is not true. They point out how big medicine is failing, and how it can be reformed. This book is wonderfully informed and thoughtfully presented., Incorporating tough-minded analysis with powerful rhetoric, this book describes why the US healthcare delivery system fails us, why mergers are unlikely to help, and what industry and policy leaders can do to turn things around., For years, allies of big medicine have argued that Bigger is Better. Dranove and Burns take on that argument and show it is not true. They point out how big medicine is failing and how it can be reformed. This book is wonderfully informed and thoughtfully presented.
