This book provides practical guidance on using information systems effectively to answer questions posed by a variety of stakeholders in the U.S. health care system, including consumers, purchasers, providers, and health system administrators. Providing an introduction to health services research techniques, the authors discuss the use of various data sources for analysis, as well as the integration of these data sources and the application of different analytic techniques to answering key policy questions. This book offers a broad overview of the critical issues in using information systems, as well as a technical section that addresses analytic topics of concern to researchers and analysts working in private and public sector groups responsible for purchasing, managing, delivering, and regulating health care services. "Health Information Systems contains much important information. I learned a lot from reading it." -- Paula Diehr, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Washington "This book is a 'tour de force' covering the most pressing issues in health care and providing a course on analytic methods and statistics. It could be used by anyone responsible for conducting almost any type of health data analysis." -- Virginia Riehl, Health Care Consultant A 'tour de force' covering the most pressing issues in health care and providing a course on analytic methods and statistics. -- Virginia Riehl, Health Care Consultant Tour de force covering the most pressing issues in health care and providing a course on analytic methods and statistics. -- Virginia Riehl, International Journal for Quality in Health Care This volume introduces a new series from RAND Health. Focused on the most important analytic and policy issues in health care today, the series draws on the more than three decades of path-breaking research we have conducted on topics touching nearly every aspect of the health care system. By sharing both methodological insights and policy analysis expertise, we further our mission of improving health care systems by advancing understanding of how the organization and financing of care affect costs, quality, and access.Robert H. Brook, M.D., Sc.D., F.A.C.P.Vice President and Director of RAND Health Elizabeth A. McGlynn (Ph.D., Public Policy, RAND Graduate School, Santa Monica, CA) is Director of the RAND Center for Research on Quality in Health Care. Eve Kerr is a consultant at RAND Health and a clinical instructor at UCLA, Department of Medicine. Robert Brook (M.D., Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University) is professor of medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, and Vice President and Director of RAND Health. Cheryl Damberg (Ph.D., RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies) is a Health Policy Fellow. Research interests include employment-based health insurance, health care reform, quality of care, health promotion/disease prevention. Used Book in Good Condition