Provides practical advice on paying for health care services, finding long-term care and paying for long-term care.

Managing Local Government Services, 3rd ed. is a comprehensive text on the subject of local government services relevant to local governments of all sizes. This edition is refocused and updated to include the demographic, economic, technology and cultural trends that affect the management of service delivery. New chapters discuss the shift from ¿government¿ to ¿governance,¿ alternative methods of service delivery, community development, and the five management practices that are fast becoming the standard for professional local government management.Each chapter lays out the manager¿s responsibilities in each service area, and provides effective policies, practices, and procedures. Short case examples give you a practical look at the goals, challenges, and solutions in the manager¿s world.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The goal of this TIP is to recommend guidelines for primary care clinicians to follow in caring for patients with alcohol and other drug use disorders. These guidelines were developed by a Consensus Panel of clinicians, researchers, and educators who work on the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Protocols are based partly on research evidence, partly on Panel members' clinical experience. The algorithm to the left follows a patient with substance use problems who presents in a primary care setting. The chart will serve as a guide or road map through screening, brief assessment, brief intervention, assessment, referral, specialized treatment, and followup care as they are detailed in the TIP. Since substance use disorders are often chronic conditions that progress slowly over time, primary care clinicians, through their regular, long-term contact with patients, are in an ideal position to screen for alcohol and drug problems and monitor each patient's status. Futhermore, studies have found that primary care clinicians can actually help many patients decrease alcohol consumption and its harmful consequences through office-based interventions that take only 10 to 15 minutes (Kahan et al., 1995; Wallace et al., 1988). This potential, however, is largely untapped: Saitz and colleagues found that of a sample of patients seeking substance abuse treatment, 45 percent reported that their primary care physician was unaware of their substance abuse (Saitz et al., in press). Yet even though screening and limited treatment of substance use disorders do not require a large time investment, the Consensus Panel that developed this TIP recognized that many primary care clinicians are already overwhelmed by the demands imposed by expanded gatekeeper functions. The Panel realized that a practical approach to addressing patients' substance abuse problems was needed: one that recognized the time and resource limitations inherent in primary care practice and offered a series of graduates approaches that could be incorporated into a normal clinic or office routine. Biological, medical, and genetic factors as well as psychological, social, familial, cultural, and other environmental features all bear on substance abuse. Addressing the condition effectively requires a team effort, especially when it has progressed beyond the early stage. For this reason, in addition to screening and intervention treatment options, these guidelines include information about viable referral for assessment and treatment, as well as followup. Readers will notice that the TIP contains more information on alcohol use and abuse than on use of illicit drugs. This reflects both the scope of the problems and the research literature available about them. It is estimated that about 18 million people with alcohol use problems and 5 million users of illicit drugs need treatment. Although the Panel recognizes that tobacco is an addictive substance with a major public health impact, it is not included in this TIP because the topic falls outside CSAT's purview. Readers are referred to "Smoking Cessation: a Guide for Primary Care Clinicians," published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1996). The Consensus Panel's recommendations are based on a combination of clinical experience and research-based evidence. In the list below, the summary guidelines supported by the research literature are followed by (1); clinically based recommendations are marked (2). Citations supporting the former are referenced in the body of the document. Screening and assessment instruments mentioned below are reproduced and discussed in Chapters 2 and 4 and Appendix C. The guidelines are presented in more detail in Chapter 6.

For today’s health care professional, clinical expertise is not enough—one has to know the market. Even when a facility has its own marketing department, practitioners are regularly called on for their input. Health Services Marketing: A Practitioner’s Guide clearly and succinctly explains the range of marketing activities and techniques, from promotions to pricing, so any health professional can learn to navigate this bewildering but increasingly important aspect of healthcare. Richard Thomas’ step-by-step guide for developing a marketing plan and carrying out a successful campaign offers a hands-on approach to proven methods for staying a step ahead of the healthcare marketing game: The health industry as seen from the marketing perspective. Healthcare products, and the consumers who need them. What marketing can (and can’t) do for a medical practice. Demographics and beyond: how social marketing works. Where your marketing dollar goes: staying on budget. Market positioning: knowing the competition, building the strategy. Evaluating a marketing plan’s effectiveness. Plus dozens of forms, checklists, and questionnaires to simplify the process. Useful to practitioners and administrators alike, and equally suited to the for-profit as to the non-profit organization, Health Services Marketing gives the reader valuable tools to reach out to consumers and build lasting relationships.

In its second edition, this accessible health and human services manual offers a critical overview of the issues and challenges that families face and provides practical strategies for promoting resilience and positive family functioning. Through clinical and sociological perspectives and employing a strengths-based approach, this revised edition provides a broad overview of factors affecting Canadian families such as diverse family structures, healthy and unhealthy forms of communication, family culture and beliefs, couple dynamics, addiction, and developmental and psychiatric disabilities. Covering a wide range of topics, the author draws special attention to LGBTQ and military families, the effects of violence and trauma, and professional ethics and self-care. An indispensable resource for students and practitioners of social services, child and youth work, and early childhood education, the revised edition of Working with Families, Second Edition reflects current research and practices in the field and features updated statistics and accessible language.

The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice applies some of the most innovative and highly effective Managed Services techniques ever developed, and proven to increase long-term predictable revenue, thereby increasing an IT Organization's value. Leverage MSP University's successful Managed Services concepts - 3 Killer Managed Services deliverables - A Unique Managed Services Sales Process so successful that Clients can't resist signing your Agreements - Pricing your Managed Services deliverables for Maximum Profit - What to do after your Client is sold - Advanced Annuity-Based revenue philosophies. The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice includes everything you'll need to: - Transition to a successful, Annuity-Based Managed Services model and Evaluate your existing Clients and calculate what they'll be worth on a Monthly and Yearly basis when converted to Managed Services - Successfully market and sell Managed Services to new Clients - Increase your organization's overall value by transitioning to an Annuity-based Service Delivery model. *Includes nearly 30 downloadable Managed Services Business, Technical, Sales and Marketing Tools, Forms and Collateral! *Bonus: 4 Business-Winning PowerPoint Presentations! *Extra Special Bonus: Recorded Managed Services Webcast download included!

As economic and regulatory pressures drive financial institutions to seek efficiency gains by improving the quality of their trading processes and systems, firms are devoting increasing amounts of capital to maintaining their competitive edge. Straight-Through Processing (STP), which automates every step in the trading system, is the most effective way for firms to remain competitive. According to the Securities Industry Association, the US securities industry will spend $8 billion to implement STP initiatives, and 99% percent of this investment will be made in systems internal to the firm. Straight-Through Processing for Financial Services: The Complete Guide provides the knowledge and tools required by operations managers and systems architects to develop and implement STP processing systems that streamline business processes to maintain competitiveness in the market.* Learn the tools and techniques for developing software systems and for streamlining business processes* Keep up to date and well informed in this highly regulated and ever changing market* Gain the knowledge and experience for a leading consultant in the field

No matter how great Sunday's worship service was, there's always another Sunday lurking at the end of the next week that must be planned. Church leaders often fall into ruts, working on automatic pilot just trying to get things together, which does not allow for much creativity or focus on designing services that lead to transformation for those involved in them. Engage is a step-by-step, stress-free guide to planning worship services that allow for and foster true life change. Comprehensive in scope, Engage provides teaching pastors, worship leaders, and volunteers with the tools they need to work together to develop and implement a worship planning system that improves communication, enhances creativity, and honors Jesus every week.

This is a primary, comprehensive textbook for people who are considering undertaking a piece of health-related research. It is an accessible companion with the aim of getting the reader to think broadly about all of the issues that need to be considered when embarking on a project. This is a pragmatic book, a step-by-step guide to research which mirrors the structure of a research project, taking you through the thought process for designing and conducting your study from formulating the right research question at idea inception, ascertaining what methodologies and analysis can answer what type of questions, right through to dissemination, all presented in an easy, digestible style. The book is full of case study illustrations and practical tips such as how to work out a research budget and obtaining funding for your project, discussion of what permissions need to obtained when conducting research with people, and how to involve public and patients. The authors are all experienced researchers and so this book is an accumulation of collective wisdom on common research challenges and issues.

Marketing Your Services You may be one of the best doctors, consultants, accountants, caterers, or investment advisors around, but when it comes to marketing your service, you may also be the first one to admit, "I don’t know what to do." Now, here’s a book that shows you, step by step, how to market your services—painlessly, confidently, profitably. Marketing Your Services shows you: How to define and promote your services to the right market How to differentiate your business from other similar businesses How to price and package your services How to turn qualified prospects into customers and build long-term relationships with clients "This is the best book I have seen about Marketing—making your mark in a way that hits the mark. You will be provoked, persuaded, and pleased by this guidebook for painless marketing mastery." —Chip R. Bell Author, Service Wisdom "Simply put, this is the most useful book on marketing for service firms I know of. It is also the best written. Read it." —Clay Carr Author, Front-Line Customer Service "An excellent guide to the marketing maze for any small business that wants to get a firm handle on just what service they provide, and learn how to enjoy making money doing it." —Martin T. Cannon Director, Paper Product Development The Procter & Gamble Company