Practice Management Books

Five stars... without a doubt! Blake, Blake, and Kitteridge craft a compelling case for stewardship of the ecosystems we inhabit. The story is grounded in the Klamath Basin of Southern Oregon where a complex dance of men and nature is being played out. Historically, the federal government in the form of the Bureau of Reclamation identified the water rich basin as a region to promote for farming. No surprise that today the area is largely given over to farming and ranching. Prior communities consisted of local Native Americans who for the last hundred years or so have been driven out of the basin either by our military or our legal system. And last, but not the least in importance, the bio-diversity that suffers at the hands of lost habit, chemicals used for pesticides, and misguided management by public institutions.

Farmers, the indigenous Klamath people, migrating birds and native fish, all have their claims to the basin. From recalling the basin from his early childhood to driving the dirt roads to meet the 3rd generation farmers and ranchers, William Kitteridge's writing is exceptional at putting real faces and names to this place.

The story is made sublime with some of the most outstanding western wildlife photography you are likely to find. The photographs represent the sacredness of a place that serves as a stop for millions of migrating birds that no words can begin to portray.

A tragic postscript to the publishing of this book was a fish kill of some 30 thousand salmon on their way up the Klamath River to their spawning beds. Its been concluded that in stream flows got drawn down to the point where the migrating salmon stacked up in swallow and warm pools which ultimately depleted the water of oxygen. Only recently have federal wildlife managers admitted that diversion of water to farmers in the basin caused the massive fish kill in the Klamath.

This book is an epiphany. Kittredge is the best essayist writing about the American west living today, and the photographs are almost perfect. This book will introduce readers to an area that has remained mostly obscure, an area where huge environmental dramas have long since began, and are still being played out. Many sympathies are presented in this book; lots of heros, too. An amazing read.

Excellent narrative that provides the historic context for what is emerging as one of the most difficult and contentious fights between economic and enviromental interests anywhere in the US. The photography is outstanding and Kittredge's discussion of the people and the issues in this beautiful area provide concise insight for anyone interested in understanding the tragedy of US government policies on the management of the land, the people, the fish, and the birds of the Klamath Lake basin. Strongly recommend!!!

As a responsible management consultant, virtually every one of my engagements involves measurement and benchmarking in one form or another. This is one of several books I turn to time and again to assist me in ensuring that my clients' initiatives are (1) meeting expectations (2) providing competitive advantage and (3) delivering customer satisfaction. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - adamleft@webspan.net.

Bogan and English do a great job of introducing benchmarking, give great examples, and follow up with a nice set of "practice problems". They provide success stories and pitfalls to be avoided. Most importantly they give an excellent planning chapter for the company just beginning benchmarking. Great introduction to the topic.

Bogan and English have created a blueprint for creating this we-can-learn-from-anyone culture of benchmarking that is easy to read and use. They give literally hundreds of examples and suggestions for how to select benchmarking targets, organize for rapid learning, and implement these strategies. Learning by borrowing from the best and adapting their approaches makes sense. Buy this book before your competitors do

The book explains the factors that leads to the increasing power of patients over providers. With some examples of pioneers adopting to the changes, you can have an idea where the future lie for providers.

Personally, I think this book is especially helpful for providers. As or consumers, they will experience these changes first hand within their daily lives.

This excellent treatise on the possible future path of Managed Care is a benchmark guide for all of us who are involved in healthcare. Of particular interest are the four examples of "Scenario Planning" which are offered. The reader may challenge oneself by imagining additional, or alternative, scenarios; particularly in view of the current stock market volatility as well as a new national presidential adminstration.

This is an excellent piece of analysis that looks at where we are, how we got here and where we are likely to go. The authors have done a fantastic job of outlining seven major factors that impact the health care industry (consumerism, public policy, information technology, etc.), and the four scenarios at the end of the book provide a great framework for doing your own crystal ball gazing. This book sort of picks up where Paul Starr left off. A must read for any health care executive who plans to remain an executive in health care over the next 5 - 10 years.

A 'must' for any serious college-level collection catering to student vets, and for those already working in the field as is Lowell Ackerman's invaluable FIVE-MINUTE VETERINARY PRACTICE MANAGEMENT CONSULT, a powerful one-step reference on all management issues for consult practices, from understanding the marketplace in which vets practice to hospital finances, budgeting, marketing services to a vet practice, and practicing safety. From legal issues to planning, this structured guide offers a focus on practical assessments and solutions key to the vet practice.

This is an excellent resource helping DVM Practices reach a standard of care to rival our human counterparts. Clinic owners should consider this a MUST have!

This book has it all, from start up basics to in-depth management protocols. All of this is in the usual easy-to-find, easy-to-read format that you expect from the Five Minute series.

There are not words to describe how wonderful this books is. It can help you heal the pain in your life. Just keep an open mind.

Tulku Thondup has once again extracted the essence of traditional Buddhist techniques and made them accessible to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. For those who would like to attend one of Tulku Thondup's Workshops on Healing, here is his schedule:
1) Shambhala Center of Washington, DC: March 8 - 10th, 2002 (301) 949 0517
2) Ottawa Shambhala Center, CANADA: May 24 - 26, 2002
(613) 562 5800, poste 1783
3) Karme Choling, Vermont: May 3 - 5th, 2002
(802) 633-2384

Tulku Thondup captures the essence of compassion and healing in what can only be described as a subtle and outstanding book. The exercises in this book help calm both physical and emotional needs. In fact, these meditations are helpful to anyone who wants to increase their peace of mind and sense of personal well-being.

Although rooted in Buddhism, this book will appeal to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Whoever you are, whatever problems you may face, Tulku Thondup simply wants you feel better...

I highly recommend this 100 page book to busy administrators looking for practical ideas to foster and enhance the work of professional learning communities in their schools. The Walk Through Protocol, along with the structures and processes for teacher collaboration, effectively engages teachers in meaningful examination of student learning in a non-threatening, empowering manner.

Breaking Through to Effective Teaching is aptly titled--the ideas and strategies presented here are simple and yet ground-breaking in effecting systemic change! This elegant little book offers a model that takes the anxiety and sting out of the classroom walk-through and turns it into a source of powerful tools to enrich student learning. Teachers are empowered with new strategies to visit each other's classrooms, searching for those practices that are getting the desired results. Rather than concentrating on "fixing" what's wrong, classroom visitors are urged to focus like a laser on what's working. This releases the potential that exists in every school and builds an enthusiastic community of learners and inquirers. The many examples and case studies will be helpful to administrators, teachers and community members who crave a culture of positive energy, mutual support and impressive results! I highly recommend it.

This practical guide to institutionalizing walk-throughs into a school's culture is a MUST read for every administrator.

Sandra Barry
Superintendent
Anaheim City School District

I was very pleased with the fast delivery and the great shape of the book. It looked liked it had never been used.

This classic by Finkler & Graf has been used successfully in many graduate Nursing Administration programs. It is well written and understandable to people who don't have an accounting background. The content is well organized, thorough and accurate. Steven Finkler is one of the most prestigious authors in the field of finance, financial management and budgeting for non-accountant managers in health care. This book is an excellent resource for head nurses, nursing directors, and many nurse executives still keep it as a reference. Indeed, any manager who operates a 24/7 service business might find it useful for understanding how to prepare a budget for that kind of operation. Anyone interested in the concepts of budgeting, and especially, how to apply those concepts in a hospital nursing unit setting can benefit from this book. It is the best text I have found for teaching these concepts to graduate nursing students.

Excellent book! I needed this for a Finance class in grad school. This book is an excellent resource. It clearly explains everything one would need to know about Budgeting in healthcare. It is loaded with examples of real life situations making it an easy book to read and hold your attention. i will be holding on to this book for future use.

If you're a whistleblower, and you are not familiar with Concepts and Procedures in Whistleblower Law by Mr. Kohn, you are at a serious disadvantage already. I had no idea what I was up against. I was getting clobbered by the system at every turn. The information in this book evens the playing field quickly.
Mr. Kohn leads you through the maze of mistakes that you're going to make, and allows you to gain control of your situation.
It's written for everyone to read. I read it overnight.
When you get done reading it, get a copy for your lawyer.
The amount of information contained in this book will assist both of you immediately. A RARE find. Thank you Mr. Kohn.

This book is indispensible to an employee who is beaten down by the corporate world for reporting a violation in good faith of unethical or unlawful matter . I was cast into the stormy sea of politics without a hope of survival until I was tossed this book; my only life preserver in a corrupt world.

Regards and my respect to the author ;

This book is indispensible to an employee who is beaten down by the corporate world for reporting a violation in good faith of unethical or unlawful matter . I was cast into the stormy sea of politics without a hope of survival until I was tossed this book; my only life preserver in a corrupt world.

Regards and my respect to the author ;

Well organized, user friendly and full of excellent activities to keep your groups engaged and focused on the topic of conflict management.

Every trainer should have a copy, reference it frequently, and utilize the content themselves to manage conflict that sometime occurs during training.

A tool no trainer should be without! This book is extremely user-friendly, clear, concise and provides activities that could be applicable in any professional or personal training environment.

The stories and practice cases helped me keep participants engaged and focused during training. An excellent way for everyone to personalize the theories of conflict management and make it their own.

This is everything you need in one convenient package.

This book is an incredible resource for corporate trainers and college instructors! I was able to use the activities in this workbook with my traditional classes, as well as my adult learners in factory and union settings. Students learn better with hands-on activities and through the use of antecdotel stories they can remember. This book combines both to make for a fruitful learning experience. We have long needed a resource of this caliber that takes theory and really shows us how to put it into practice. I will be waiting for more titles from this author.

The new edition of this book provides updates on the models of mediation, advocacy, and negotiation that were provided in the first edition. The new edition also adds creative models of mediation, including healing circles, deep listening, and trust building.

Bought this book as required text for a social work course. Best textbook I've ever used. Great explanations of concepts and interesting exercises.

Teaches you how to get not just what you want, but what others want, too. Great cases and examples to show you how to mediate and negotiate... especially how to be prepared for tough situations in practice.