The U.S. healthcare delivery system is huge and complicated. Healthcare is a two-trillion-dollar sector that accounts for 16 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Understanding its size, scope, and complexity can help improve the performance of everyone who works in healthcare.Orientation to Healthcare focuses on the role of four key groups in the healthcare system — patients, hospitals, physicians, and insurers/managed care organizations. In addition to defining each of these groups, their key characteristics, and their major challenges and issues, you will understand the interrelationships among the groups and other elements of the healthcare system.

You will learn to:·
- Describe the major structural elements of the
American healthcare system.·
- Determine the key drivers of the healthcare system.·
- Identify the healthcare system's major groups and
their key characteristics.·
- Understand the relationship among the key players in
the healthcare system.·
- Understand some economic fundamentals of the
healthcare system.