Strong cash flow, balance sheet, management, key to capital needs. Symposium on Healthcare Directions: the capital financing imperative.

For a full day, 10 individuals representing varied health fields and viewpoints within the healthcare industry discussed a number of topics confronting health care and predicted what the environment is likely to be in three years (see accompanying sidebars for symposium participants and purpose). This article focuses on one of the symposium topics, capital availability and financing, and the implications in a time of declining utilization.

The American health-care system: in sickness or in health?

With budget deficits dominating Federal policies, Congress has decided that Medicare costs have surpassed acceptable limits. To help solve the problem, Congress approved the Prospective Payment System in 1983. Bisbee explores Medicare's role in present and future developments in health-care delivery and examines hospitals' and physicians' response to the latest governmental initiatives.

The impact of musculoskeletal disorders on the population of the United States.

Musculoskeletal disorders constitute such a large component of impairments of individuals in the working and geriatric population that good statistical data on them are essential for planning health care. We have collected the pertinent data, with references to recent source material, to determine the incidence, effect on the quality of life, and associated costs of these disorders in the United States.

AHA surveys major source of hospital data.

The Annual Survey of Hospitals and the National Hospital Panel Survey work together to provide a thorough picture of hospital activities.