Top 6 Books Health Execs Should Read in 2019
The books healthcare executives recommend to other healthcare executives.
We asked the Managed Healthcare Executive editorial advisory board: “What book would you recommend to other executives?” Here’s what they said.
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
“We are using it to be clearer on what our objectives are and will use key results to measure how well we are doing in achieving those objectives.”
- Margaret Murray, chief executive officer, Association for Community Affiliated Health Plans
Dare to Lead
by Brene Brown
“It’s very relevant for industries going through tumultuous change and illustrates how to broaden your horizon, in terms of taking risks.”
- Doug Chaet, senior vice president, Provider Networks and Value-Based Solutions at Independence Blue Cross
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
By Atul Gawande
“Given the complexities of today’s healthcare industry and the pressures placed upon healthcare executives to balance a multitude of responsibilities, Dr. Gawande does a great job (as always) of using his real-world experiences as a surgeon to provide thought-provoking and valued insights into how we all can leverage simple tools at our disposal to provide greater focus, quality, productivity, and satisfaction in both work and daily life.”
- David Calabrese, RPh, MHP, senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer of OptumRx
An American Sickness
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
“The author takes a no-holds-barred look at the fragmented, profit-oriented, quality-challenged American healthcare system. It’s hard to read this and not agree that our industry has lost its way in trying to offer an affordable, results-driven, integrated system of care for our country.”
-Don Hall, MPH, is principal of DeltaSigma LLC, a consulting practice specializing in strategic problem solving for managed care organizations. He most recently served as president and chief executive officer of a nonprofit, provider-sponsored health plan
Eyes Wide Open
by Isaac Lidsky
“Isaac Lidsky’s Eyes Wide Open tells the story of how he went blind in his twenties but overcame this challenge to live a fulfilling and successful life. Isaac learned to view life and reality with ‘eyes wide open’-not as a victim, but as someone in control of his or her own path. This gave him perspective on just how fortunate he truly was in life; confidence to succeed (he graduated from Harvard College, clerked for a chief justice, and turned a failing construction company into a multimillion dollar success story); the courage to be a husband and a father; and a calling to share his story with others.”
-Mark Boxer, MD, Cigna's global CIO
The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care
by Angelo E. Volandes
“A very important book that talks about advanced care planning and the issues we face as a healthcare system and country by not dealing with it effectively.”
-David Schmidt, president of the TPG International Health Academy