Monday, July 11, 2011

Read While On the Road

During our stay in Steamboat Springs, I tracked down a Wall Street Journal, Weekend edition.  I read the book reviews and often buy books or not based on the review.  Recently James O'Shea authored a book called The Deal From Hell about the Tribune Company's merger with Times Mirror and all the wrong that fell out of that deal.

I'm not buying the book, but......

There was a paragraph in the WSJ article that caught my eye.

Few human activities are less dignified than trying to manage decline.  The final days of the golden era - during which publishers scrambled to locate silver-bullet business plans and newsrooms tried to cope with endless rounds of buyouts and groan-inducing management-consulting sessions - deserve the kind of comprehensive clear-eyed look that newspaper vets claim to specialize in.


Let's, for a moment, re-write this and see if it isn't relevant for the healthcare industry.

Few human activities are less dignified than trying to manage decline and the intrusion of a government legal apparatus determined to separate investible capital from its rightful owners.  The final days of golden era - during which drug companies, insurers, benefits managers, hospitals, doctor practices scrambled to locate silver-bullet business plans and sales, marketing, finance, operations, regulatory, medical, legal tried to cope with endless rounds of buyouts, acquisitions, mergers and groan-inducing management-consulting sessions and team-building programs - deserve the kind of comprehensive, clear-eyed look that Chairmen, CEOs, COOs, general managers and vice-presidents claim to specialize in.


In what region of hell will healthcare find its solution?











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