“The promise of consolidation is the ability of integrated delivery systems to provide high quality, coordinated care,” Mr. Dowling says. “With integration, large systems are able to provide all services including advanced specialization in heart disease, surgery, cancer care etc. in departments specifically tailored for individual specialties.”  

However, he cautions that consolidation without integration of services won’t improve quality of care or affordability. “When an organization consolidates without integrating they may be able to leverage better payments and achieve some economies of scale. The much harder thing is to integrate throughout the organization so that you achieve the same standards of care everywhere.”

Health Care Reboot takes an optimistic view of the US health system by focusing on measures and outcomes that mean the most to patients, paying for value rather than volume and causing doctors and hospitals to shift to a newly aggressive proactive approach to caring for patients.

The book is available for purchase online and at booksellers everywhere.