Health Services Planning

The third edition of Health Services Planning represents a necessary revision of the second edition (2003) and reflects the significant changes that have occurred in the social and health environments, the healthcare field, and the planning endeavor itself. The book reviews the history of health planning (with reference to activities in other countries) before describing the process from start to finish in great detail. The philosophy underlying health planning and its perception, past and present, are reviewed with a particular emphasis on the factors that are making health planning more relevant than ever.

The steps in the health services planning process are reviewed and supported by how-to guidance, examples of planning applications, and planning case studies. The various levels and types of planning are described (societal, community, organizational; strategic, business, marketing), and the similarities and differences discussed.

Newand updated chapters in this edition cover the planning requirements introduced through the Affordable Care Act, the rethinking of the community health needs assessment process, and the implications of the population health movement for health planning:

• The Social and Health Systems Context for Health Services Planning
• The Changing Environment for Health Planning
• The New Community Assessment Process
• From Community Health Needs Assessment to Population Health Assessment

Health Services Planning, 3rd Ed., remains a critical resource for health administration programs, as well as an essential publication for health professionals in both public and private sector healthcare organizations that need to have an understanding of the planning process.

• health services planning
• health administration
• health services research
• health planning data
• strategic planning
• community health needs assessment
• planning audit
• social context for health services planning
• health services demand and utilization
• information resources in health services planning
• data management in health services planning
• the future of health services planning
• role of Affordable Care act in health services planning
• transformation of U.S. healthcare system
• immigration and health status in health services planning
• population health movement
• community assessment process for health services planning
• role of social media in marketing health services
• new data modeling techniques for health services planning

• Public Health Research Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center Health and Performance Resources, LLC, Mississippi State University (Social Science Research Center), Memphis, USA

  Richard K. Thomas

Richard K. Thomas, PhD, is vice president of Health and Performance Resources in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and author, speaker, and consultant. He has been involved in healthcare market research, planning, and business development with hospitals, clinics, health plans, and other healthcare organizations in both the public and private sectors for more than 40 years. Dr. Thomas holds master’s degrees in sociology and geography from the University of Memphis and a PhD in medical sociology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He has held faculty appointments at several universities and medical schools and is currently a research affiliate with the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University and affiliate faculty with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Thomas is active in publishing and has authored or coauthored over 20 books on health-related topics, including works on health services planning, healthcare market research, and the demography of health and health care. He has authored dozens of articles on health care and given numerous presentations, seminars, and workshops on related subjects. He previously served as the editor of Marketing Health Services, the healthcare journal of the American Marketing Association.

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