Practice Management Books

"Medical Terminology Made Incredibly Easy" is simply the best human anatomy book that you can buy. It covers all parts of the body, diseases, treatment for diseases, and history related to each part of the body.

This book covers every area of the human body from the nervous system, to the circulatory, to the vascular, lymphatic, and so on. It breaks down each function of every organ and system, and then goes furthur by stating which part os the organ does which. For example, it says that the heart pumps blood to the body. To go furthur, it may say that the aorta is the main artery which does that task. And so on.

The book also lists diseases for each part of the body and some treatments that are available for them. This book is great when it comes to pictures. It has color pictures, black and white, and tons of words with lines pointing to show where each part of an organ is. The book also has games to play at the end of each chapter to test what you've learned. Naturally, there are answers too.

"Medical Terminology Made Incredibly Easy" is the best of all of the human anatomy books that I've seen and read. It is very definitive and gives the information to you very easily. This book would be great for any medical school student that needs a little more help in human anatomy. this is one great book.

HAPPY READING!

I seem to learn and retain the material better when there is a matter a fact approach relating to all the important factors that needs to be learned, and this book does just that! This series is awesome!

I concur with the previous detailed reviewer and the book review clipped into the Amazon site. Excellent book.

When asked about health care innovations, especially practices directed at controlling costs, most policymakers and wonks point to private sector solutions, such as the cost-constraining effects of HMOs in the 1990's or today's ideation of consumer-directed health plans. But is this conventional wisdom wrong? What about public sector health policies, most notably in Medicare or Medicaid?

In a fascinating new book, two top thought leaders show how a powerful and complex Medicare payment formula led to fundamental changes across the health care system, facilitating a dramatic power shift from providers (hospitals and physicians) to buyers (Medicare, Medicaid, and employers).

In Medicare Prospective Payment and the Shaping of U.S. Health Care, Rick Mayes, Ph.D. and Robert A. Berenson, M.D. describe how Medicare's transformation from retrospective, cost-based payment methods to prospective payment systems (PPS) "both initiated and repeatedly intensified the economic restructuring of the U.S. health care system." In addition to providing a thoughtful history of Medicare PPS from a research concept to the single most powerful financial driver in health care, Drs. Mayes and Berenson make the case that the public sector has been the major innovator.

In building their case and exploring how PPS works in the real world, they interviewed 65 health financing experts, including several former CMS administrators. Bob Berenson and Rick Mayes do a nice job challenging conventional wisdom, which in health policy is always a good thing.

Earlier in my career, I cut my teeth on PPS at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where my scope included Medicare Part A and hospital reimbursement policy. Therefore, for me, Medicare Prospective Payment and the Shaping of U.S. Health Care made for a particularly intriguing read. But you don't need to be a Medicare wonk to understand and benefit from this crisp, well-written book.

- Kip Piper

A colleague informed me what price was on the book currently ($130 list; $117 discounted) and I was astounded, since it was originally published at $50. I looked into this and can report that it is still available from the publisher at $50, so please do order it directly and save yourself some money! (P.S. They didn't know it was being sold on Amazon for this price, but I told them!)

Diane Hillmann
One of the editors of "Metadata in Practice"

The collaborative project of experienced librarians Diane I. Hellman and Elaine L. Westbrooks, Metadata In Practice covers the pioneer projects of information specialists, from the new "AskDCMI" service to image datatbases, geographic survey amalgamations, and much more. A wide variety of essays by learned authors offer scholarly insights into how the skill of information collection and distribution has an ever-growing potential to redefine how mankind understands the world. A superb seminal work, especially recommended for science shelves.

Mindfulness and Money is written from a Buddhist perspective on the financial world. It's not the only Buddhist perspective, but it looks at personal finance through the lens of the traditions that have grown around the Buddha and his teachings. It does a great job of trying to bridge the gap between Buddhist thinking and the Western societies in which we live.

Questions, Ideas, and Implications

I think the most important sentence is the one that starts off the book: "Money is humanity's greatest invention" (pg 1). In Western culture, with it's Judeo-Christian roots, money is often seen as bad or troublesome. The idea of money as something that is good is powerful and I find it rather liberating. It's challenging enough finding ways to operate as an economic entity without feelings of guilt or worry.

The most relevant way the Buddhist perspective can help is as a counter to the materialism that characterizes much of our society. There is an inherent cultural belief right now that buying more stuff will make you happy (just watch TV commercials). There's this idea that if you aren't fantastically wonderful yet, all it will take is a new watch, cologne, car, pair of jeans, etc. There's an unspoken promise that buying things or having things will make you complete; a promise that always disappoints. The Buddhist approach suggests a way to escape that cycle.

I love the assertion that "Craving is something we choose to do" (pg. 50). A lot of times I think we feel controlled by our desires, that we have to go along with them. This reminds me that I have a choice to act or not act upon any desire that comes up.

Another idea that has value is the idea of "skillfully" earning money. The idea of choosing a career based on the good that it will do for you and for the world is a lot more fulfilling than just choosing one based on salary. I have met many people who are unhappy with their career choices, but they continue on because they feel they have to. How can we choose work that is emotionally and financially fulfilling? I think the first step is awareness; simply being aware that there is more to work than money can start the process of finding an authentic career.

In the last year, I've been asking myself questions about how I spend my money, and looking for ways to change my habits. For example, I still have a car, but I drive a lot less - I try to take public transportation or my bike because it's less expensive and better for the environment. I'm realizing that there are a lot of ways that I can make small changes in my life to not need as much as I thought I did.

Should you read this book?

If you are searching for a new way to relate to money in your life, you will definitely find value in Mindfulness and Money. You don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate the value of it's philosophies on how to earn and spend money, and it's psychological understanding of how we interact with money is profound.

There are several reasons why this book is worth reading. First, when the authors speak about bread, you can see the dough on their hands--they have breadth, so to speak, of experience. They speak with authority.
Second, they explain some complex Buddhist doctrines in such a way that teenager would be able to understand them, while at the same time, a PhD would be able to appreciate them.
Third, they vivify their ideas with an abundance of living examples. Any seasoned public speaker will testify to the effectiveness of examples: people remember the examples long after the principles have been forgotten. These examples help us to see what is going on in our own lives. They show us our lives through the lives of others.
Last, they write in a style which is pleasurable to read, literate without being in any way stuffy. It's the style of grounded intelligence.
I am confident that other readers will find additional reasons for appreciating this book.

This study guide is one of the best on the market that has the questions that you will need to know. This study guide has flash cards to help you remember those real estate words and their meanings.

This book really helped me to study for the real estate exam. It helps to explain why an answer would be correct or incorrect. It's a great way to prepare.

Mountain in the Clouds: a search for the Wild Salmon
By Bruce Brown

This book touched me. I don't read much non-fiction, and what I do read is usually skills-based How-To stuff about carpentry or plumbing or growing mushrooms. This book though, being non-fiction affected me to a surprising degree, and I know exactly why: location, location, location.

A book like this can touch me precisely because it and I share a common experience. I've seen salmon jumping in the Dungeness; I've been to the campground on the Fork of that river. I've tasted wild Chinook and Chum and I can tell the difference. I've seen the stripes on a mating chum in its Redd, and smelled their dead bodies lining a stream channel in autumn. So, this is a book about my experience of Salmon as much as it was the author's - and because of that it was entirely poignant, touching upon the experiences of my life and things that were significant to me. That's what got me.

But if it weren't for that - I suspect that the compelling yet fact-filled tone of the author would have done it just as well. A pioneering novel in the genre of "ecological history," he strikes the delicate balance, so precarious that most of the time you're poised on the front of your seat expecting to find out that all the salmon are dead and you just haven't heard about it yet. Yet, woven in with these truthful accounts of the state of affairs of the plight of modern fish are settings if great beauty, people who are good folks, and experiences of such great meaning that reading through them you could swear afterward that that had happened to you too; rather than just having read it in a book. The author's gift here is very apparent, and his creation is artful, inspiring, education yet provocative and beautiful: if only because he is able to give an accurate portrait of something that I find to be one of the most gorgeous (and delicious) parts of nature in my neck of the woods.

If you haven't seen a salmon in Washington: this book will bring you here. If you have seen them, or have seen them your whole life: this book will bring you much, much more. There isn't anyone I know of who couldn't or shouldn't read this book - if only because it brings them a little closer to the Olympic peninsula and in doing so that much closer to me, and my heart, which was always here and probably always will be.

The book did make me want to go out and slap everyone involved in Washington Fisheries before 1985, slap the fisherman and the gill-netters, slap the moneyed lobbies and the trollers and the loggers and the dam-builders and the pulp mills. I'd slap the people too - just for not doing anything about it if they did know about it; and slap them twice if they didn't. I wouldn't slap the Indians - they got screwed over just as much as the salmon; and I wouldn't slap the salmon themselves - if the river dries up or they're eaten, how could you blame them for that?

The salmon don't depend on us; this book opened up the raw world of hatchery fish in a way I hadn't even been aware a controversy existed before. Being a scientist, I tested some of my own theories and found that they held up under scrutiny, so I can say: Yes, salmon hatcheries are bad for salmon. If you want to restore salmon, tear down every hatchery in existence right now. And its not even like they had nobody out there doing different things: the Canadians scrapped their hatcheries decades ago and have stronger runs because of it. Why do we have to keep doing the same wrong thing over and over again?

Part of me wants to think that its because our culture can't stand a freeloader: and if you're fishing the stream, and doing so keeps you from having to join the money-economy, that isn't tolerable. And anything that generates money is more important than everything that doesn't. Even though you can measure an industry based on the number of salmon it kills: to most people, that doesn't matter as much as the number of jobs it creates.

We're selling our souls to buy lipstick and blush - starving our hearts for the sake of fingernail polish. And in a week, all that pretty will be gone and we'll have to deal with the stark reality that our culture has just whored itself out for nothing, and nothing is exactly what we'll have left. Maybe this is how we're going to go, maybe this is our society's way of committing suicide. But why do we have to take the whole world with us?

"We're going to ride this bike until the wheels fall off."

... and they will; and the salmon will be a legend like the wolf or the grizzly bear or the mammoth, and eventually we'll forget them entirely, and never know that once there was a different way of being which wasn't toxic to the world or to ourselves.

... And yes, that emptiness in your heart day in and day out IS because something really is missing; and you won't find it in stuff, or other distractions, or even religion (which is to real meaning as fool's gold is to true wealth). But then again, who care's right? `till the wheels fall off indeed.

Dominic Ebacher
ebacherdom.blogspot.com
071101.1234

Experience wild salmon leaping up the wild rivers of the Northwest. In western Washington, salmon still return from the ocean to spawn deep within the Olympic Mountains. This book is a classic on conservation and wildlife. Pre-dating the current concern for salmonids as an endangered species, Brown engages the reader in the unique environment of the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Pennisula. He describes the people and the fish that are the central players in this life and death drama.

This is serious stuff! Written by three of the top "Profit Participation Auditor-Accountants" in Hollywood, this is a very informative, very scary inside look at how the legendary "Hollywood Accounting" really works. They also go into why it is the way it is...and that does give you some sympathy for the devil. It's not an easy read since we're talking about legalese and accounting strategies here, so it's not for the casual hobbist. I found it absolutely fascinating and extremely useful since I consider myself a serious filmmaker who wants to know what a good deal and a bad deal may look like...and want to make some money with my movies, not just hit a few festivals and it end up a trophy on the shelf. If you're serious, this is a must read...but bottom line: Don't try to do this yourself. Even the everyday lawyer or CPA will get bamboozeled if they don't have a movie biz experience.

This book will help anyone who desires to learn how their box office ticket dollars are spent. The authors take you step by step through a standard profit participation agreement. I feel the authors are not as aggressive as they should be hollywood's unethical "creative accounting". The distributors and the audit firms would like artists to believe that the lack of knowledge is why many artist are "cheated" out of their net profits or as Eddie Murphy stated "monkey profits". All net profit participants should read this before they listen to their lawyers and auditors. Many auditors and attorneys are willing participants in the "net profit scam"!

Ms. Norwood covers every detail that one can imagine for beginners entering the field of consulting. Her vision of the consultive role, change agency, organizational climates, challenges, suggestions, supports, business forms and more are all contained in this volume. This book is a must have reference book for anyone that ventures outside of the traditional institutional settings for their professional nursing careers.

The role of consultation within nursing had been primary linked with the multifaceted aspects of the "work" of the clinic nurse specialists. Other advanced practice nurses (APNs) such as nurse practitioners (NPs) traditionally have not been regarded as experts in this matter, even given the identification of a consultant competency by Fenton and Byrkczynski (l993). Indeed, the consultation process was most closely linked in this seminal work to "consultation to physicians and other professional staff on patient management" (p. 321) with a notation that NPs were not usually expected to play a major role in the consultative process. With the advancement of the professionalism of nursing and burgeoning opportunities for expansion of practice, consultation as a nursing process has the potential to take its rightful place among the other established domains of the APNs. Yet, no text existed that established a nursing framework for this process; nor was there a text written that provided the foundation of the specific body of nursing knowledge required to translate "consultation" from a theoretical abstract into working reality. Thus, in recognition of this rather amazing void in nursing education, Norwood drew on her extensive experience as a nurse clinician researcher, educator, and consultant to create a "nouvelle ouvre"-the first of its kind in nursing literature. The text is well planned out-beginning with the more theoretical aspects and culminating in chapters on consultation in action. Moreover, the entire text is sprinkled with illustrative exemplars and scenarios of theory in practice drawn for the most part from real life situations. In addition, one of the book's greatest merits is the encouragement of critical thinking and analysis of chapter content by providing thought-provoking questions at the beginning of each chapter and by the provision of concrete suggestions for application of content at each chapter's end. Furthermore, boxed summaries are used liberally and judiciously to highlight major concepts, themes, and constructs. A review of the contents of this wealth of information can only be briefly summarized. The first two chapters of the first section of the book focus on the nature of nursing consultation and introduce an overview of the process of nursing consultation. Chapter 3 and 4 carefully delineate the types of interaction patterns to be found in the problem solving process and expand on nurse consultant roles and prerequisite competencies. The next section addresses the importance of understanding organization structure and behaviors and structure, group dynamics and the dynamics of change-both mechanical and emotional. Section three and its 5 chapters detail each phase of the process from gaining entry and problem identification to action planning, evaluation and disengagements. Again, Norwood makes a conscientious effort to emphasize potential pitfalls and supplies blueprints to enhance success. Section 4 with three chapters of the business, legal, and ethical issues is invaluable because of its practical applications, supplying the nuts and bolts of beginning a new business with fee schedule formulas, sample contracts, etc. The information on the legal and ethical aspects is most rewarding providing insight into problems and dilemmas not normally considered when embarking on the consultative process. The final section on "consultation in action" profiles legal and ethical consulting, standing as current prototypes, and provides inspiration for future nursing consultants. The last chapter underscores the need for "future think," identifying trends, driving and restraining forces that can lead the enterprising APN to create nursing niches in the wide range of consulting activities now available for those wishing to push past traditional boundaries. Although Norwood necessarily draws upon prevailing theories from other disciplines from time to time, her synthesis of the consultation concepts into a unique nursing perspective makes the text come alive-underscoring the premise that consultation is truly one of the domains of advanced practice nursing. Thus, Norwood's text promises to fill more than the proverbial gap in the educative process of APNs. The text would also serve as a reference and basis for consultation activities in progress and would encourage and enable practicing APNs who are contemplating adding consultation services to their repertoire of skills. Truly, the text stands as a premier catalyst-becoming a change agent in itself-by releasing the capacities of APNs (Sheston, l990). Finally, in case one is not prone to judge a book by a single reviewer, Nurses as Consultants was also chosen as one of the most valuable books of 1997 by the American Journal of Nurses in three difference categories: "Advanced Practice Nursing Professional Role Development," "Nursing Education," and "Gerontological Nursing" (AJN, l998). No nursing bookshelf should be without Nurses as Consultants, but what is more important, the book is not likely to remain on the bookshelf, but will be well worn with use. References: Fenton, M.V., & Brykczynski, K.A. (l993). Qualitative distinctions and similarities in the practice of clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. Journal of Professional Nursing, 9 (6), 313-326. Nursing Resources: Books of the Year. (l998) American Journal of Nursing, 98, (1), 69 Sheston, M. L. (l990). Power: Its use and potential for misuse by nurse consultants. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 5, (1), 58-62.

I used this book in my business French class and I thought that is was a good choice for people with notions of basic French.

It covers the business vocabulary through texts and exercises. That for me was the most helpful part as it gave me a quick overview of the business vocabulary. I was able to incorpate this into my knowledge of French and fake my way through business conversations.

It also gives readers an overview of French traditions, habits, and other quirks, which is both amusing and informative :-)

During the course of a French business class, we used this book as the central text. After that semester, I was sincerely impressed by the cogent and clear explanation given by Berg in this book. It is divided into sections (modules) that facilitate comprehension both at the undegaduate and graduate levels. It is easily divisible, providing lenency concerning curriculum planning and course structure. Perhaps the most striking of Parlons Affaires! is format; it was designed as a prepatory text for the Diplome de francais d'affaires (DFA) administered by the Chamber of Commernce and Industry of Paris (CCIP). In this fashion, the book is indispensable for 1) an introduction into the french business world and lexicon; 2) those who wish to prepare for the DFA; 3) any person desiring a better understanding of french business operations. Finally, I recommend, without reservation, this text. Choose it and you will not be disappointed! Il vaut la peine!

It is the ideal. If we could incorporate these ideas in our workplace it would be a better place to work.

I use this book often in my interactions with healthcare staff. Want to know how to develop a staff council, develop a mission statement, set goals, or problem solve around relationships. This is the best and most practical of all of their books.