Books about Cost effectiveness from Amazon.com

The U.S. health care system is in crisis. At stake are the quality of care for millions of Americans and the financial well-being of individuals and employers squeezed by skyrocketing costs--not to mention the stability of state and federal government budgets.

In Redefining Health Care, internationally renowned strategy expert Michael E. Porter and innovation expert Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg reveal the underlying and largely overlooked causes of the problem and provide a powerful prescription for change. The authors argue that participants in the health care system have competed to shift costs, accumulate bargaining power, and restrict services rather than create value for patients. This zero-sum competition takes place at the wrong level--among health plans, networks, and hospitals--rather than where it matters most: in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of specific health conditions.

In spite of competition among these systems, the patient care cycle is poorly coordinated. The fractured system undermines both efficiency and quality of outcomes.

Redefining Health Care lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining health care competition based on patient value over the full cycle of care—from prevention and diagnosis through recovery or long-term disease management. With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, this book shows how to move to value-based competition on results that will unleash stunning improvements in quality and efficiency..
Price: $14.94 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Residential design provides a rich testing ground for architectural innovation. Intimate scales and specific programs inspire distinctive homes, and comparatively small budgets are catalysts for exploring nontraditional materials. Modern Shoestring proves that building a contemporary house can be affordable and shows how constraints actually stimulate the most creative design solutions.

Eighteen residential projects are presented, with emphasis on the goals of the owners, the site, and the cost in the design process. Collections determine floor plans, observatories are built for starry rural nights, and found and industrial materials such as highway construction remnants, laboratory counters, plastic water bottles, and discarded chalkboards keep costs low while imbuing structures with character. These ingenious designs range in cost from $50 to $220 per square foot and represent geographical settings from Los Angeles to Anchorage to East Hampton..
Price: $24.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"Winner of the 2005 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research"

Most lean initiatives conducted by manufacturers are focused mostly on shop-floor activities — mapping the value stream of raw material to the shop-floor customer. Much of the untapped potential for productivity improvements lies, however, in non-production areas — where the value stream is administrative (i.e., "order to cash"). These "office" value streams directly support the daily production needs of an enterprise.

Beau Keyte and Drew Locher's new book, The Complete Lean Enterprise: Value Stream Mapping for Administrative and Office Processes, offers a step-by-step approach to applying lean initiatives to the administrative and office environment. It's a must read for leaders looking to improve their production support activities within their order-to-cash value stream. The Complete Lean Enterprise is a valuable tool in applying value stream mapping (VSM) to non-production areas, identifying office wastes, establishing performance metrics, speeding up administrative workflow, and improving office efficiency..
Price: $39.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The first comprehensive guide of its kind, Building an Affordable House is for homeowners and building contractors who want to incorporate proven cost-saving techniques into their projects. Written by a contractor who has been nationally recognized for his innovative approach to cost control, this book shows readers how to generate significant savings on major projects such as building a new home or adding on to an existing one. The first section provides an economical approach to planning projects, while the second reveals the quality-conscious, cost-cutting strategies the author has uncovered through direct construction experience and extensive consultation with industry experts. The third section covers finish details from drywall to flooring, with emphasis on saving money without compromising quality or distinctive results. Handy features include floor plans, resource listings, and project management tools..
Price: $13.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Logistics management is increasingly being seen as a source of competitive strength. Its effective use provides potential for cost reduction and the opportunity for increasing market share. The second edition discusses the role of logistics in achieving corporate and financial goals. Updated and expanded with more checklists, more short cases and executive summaries, this is an invaluable guide for all logistics and distribution managers..
Price: $27.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

What differentiates this book from other healthcare improvement books is that it is the only currently available book that presents a simple recipe of 46 lean steps for healthcare providers to reduce cost and improve quality. By taking these straightforward steps, healthcare providers can adopt the same lean methods which have enabled companies like Toyota to become so successful. The first part of the book explains cost and quality issues facing U.S. healthcare. From that understanding, the second part then teaches healthcare providers a 46-step recipe to reduce costs and improve quality by using Toyota Lean Production methods. With industry experts citing that as much as 40% of the total cost of healthcare production is attributed to wasteful processes, it is logical that reducing waste will lower costs. This is the basis of this book. Although other books have presented Toyota's lean methods, this book goes further by showing how to directly apply those successful methods to healthcare, where they are sorely needed. This book is intended to be a practical manual for healthcare providers to use to improve quality and reduce costs. It can be a multi-year strategic plan for healthcare providers to adopt. This second edition includes additional improvement steps and five new appendices of practical examples authored by renowned lean experts..
Price: $30.24 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Praise for IT Portfolio Management Step-by-Step

"Bryan Maizlish and Robert Handler bring their deep experience in IT 'value realization' to one of the most absent of all IT management practices--portfolio management They capture the essence of universally proven investment practices and apply them to the most difficult of challenges--returning high strategic and dollar payoffs from an enterprise's IT department. The reader will find many new and rewarding insights to making their IT investments finally return market leading results."
--John C. Reece, Chairman and CEO, John C. Reece & Associates, LLC Former deputy commissioner for modernization and CIO of the IRS

"IT Portfolio Management describes in great detail the critical aspects, know-how, practical examples, key insights, and best practices to improve operational efficiency, corporate agility, and business competitiveness. It eloquently illustrates the methods of building and integrating a portfolio of IT investments to ensure the realization of maximum value and benefit, and to fully leverage the value of all IT assets. Whether you are getting started or building on your initial success in IT portfolio management, this book will provide you information on how to build and implement an effective IT portfolio management strategy."
--David Mitchell, President and CEO, webMethods, Inc.

"I found IT Portfolio Management very easy to read, and it highlights many of the seminal aspects and best practices from financial portfolio management. It is an important book for executive, business, and IT managers."
--Michael J. Montgomery, President, Montgomery & Co.

"IT Portfolio Management details a comprehensive framework and process showing how to align business and IT for superior value. Maizlish and Handler have the depth of experience, knowledge, and insight needed to tackle the challenges and opportunities companies face in optimizing their IT investment portfolios. This is an exceptionally important book for executive leadership and IT business managers, especially those wanting to build a process-managed enterprise."
--Peter Fingar, Executive Partner Greystone Group, coauthor of The Real-Time Enterprise and Business Process Management (BPM): The Third Wave

"A must-read for the non-IT manager who needs to understand the complexity and challenges of managing an IT portfolio. The portfolio management techniques, analysis tools, and planning can be applied to any project or function."
--Richard "Max" Maksimoski, Senior Director R&D, The Scotts Company

"This book provides an excellent framework and real-world based approach for implementing IT portfolio management. It is a must-read for every CIO staff considering how to strategically and operationally impact their company's bottom line."
--Donavan R. Hardenbrook, New Product Development Professional, Intel Corporation.
Price: $25.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Drawing on his years of working with hospitals, Mark Graban explains why and how lean can be used to improve safety, quality, and efficiency in a healthcare setting. After highlighting the benefits of lean methods for patients, employees, physicians, and the hospital itself, he explains how lean manufacturing staples such as Value Stream Mapping and process observation can help hospital personnel identify and eliminate waste in their own processes, effectively preventing delays for patients, reducing wasted motion for caregivers, and improving the quality of care. Additionally, Graban describes how Standardized Work and error-proofing can prevent common hospital errors and details root cause problem-solving and daily improvement processes that can engage all personnel in systemic improvement. A unique guide for healthcare professionals, this book clearly elaborates the steps they can take to begin the proactive process of lean implementation..
Price: $40.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For courses in Cost-Benefit Analysis, taught in Economics Departments, Public Policy Departments, and Public Administration Departments. Also ideal forpracticing policy analysts andpublic managers.This authoritative, market leading book is distinct for it's consistent application of a nine-step framework for conducting or interpreting a cost-benefit analysis.

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Price: $79.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Health Economics and Policy is a basic introduction to the microeconomics of health, health care, and health policy. This edition demonstrates how economic principles apply to health-related issues. It explains the social, political, and economic contexts of health care delivery and explores the changing nature of health care. Students learn to analyze public policy from an economic perspective. While the text was written for non-economics majors, it includes enough economic content to challenge majors..
Price: $74.92 [Notify me when price goes down.]