The movement of services out of the hospital.

Certificate of Need (CON) laws have been used in the United States since the 1960s to restrict the availability of new and expensive technology in the health system. However, as medical technology is used in non-institutional settings, the value of such a regulatory system is called into question. This article examines changes occurring in the health system in the United States and OECD countries such as the movement of technology out of the hospital, the push by manufacturers of medical equipment to have greater sales and expand their markets, the internecine fights between different specialties, and other issues that have served to lead to an out-migration of services from hospitals to physician's offices, clinics and group practices, and specialty hospitals.

The crisis of the Los Angeles County public hospital system: a harbinger for the nation.

The public hospital system in Los Angeles County, California, is in the midst of a major fiscal crisis that has already led to a serious reduction of capacity and could continue to worsen. Given the importance of the public system in a county where 30 percent of the population is uninsured and private hospitals provide very little uncompensated care, what happens in L.A.

The health care workforce in Los Angeles County and New York City: a comparison and analysis.

New York City and Los Angeles County have the largest health systems in the United States, but they differ significantly in structure. This study compares and analyzes the structural and workforce differences between the two. The health system in New York City is centered around its large hospitals, and as a result New York employs many more health workers than Los Angeles County, where the health system is centered around physician groups.