title: Health care evolution. Or is it?
abstract: Should we be using evolution as our theory for understanding the radical changes overtaking medicine? Evolution is a theory for explaining changes in biological systems. The power and simplicity of evolutionary theory have made it the major scientific framework for looking at why certain animals and plants dominate ecosystems, and why one species dies out only to be replaced by another. Health care is a socio-economic system--changes occur because of scientific, economic, and political reasons. Using evolutionary jargon and examples can lead us astray. So, why do we often use evolutionary language and ideas and what is a better way of looking at the changes confronting the industry at such a rapid pace? This author finds the answer in dialectic thinking.
authors.affiliation: El Dorado Pediatric Medical Group, Inc., Placerville, CA, USA.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Washburn
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D014481:United States