Understanding Health Care in America

Michael Pagano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Fairfield University, Connecticut. After serving as an Army corpsman in Vietnam, he became a Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C). While working in Emergency Departments, he went to graduate school and earned an MA in English and a PhD in Communication with a focus in health communication. Over the past 40 years he has practiced as a PA-C and combined patient care with his passion for teaching and his interest in exploring health communication from consumer-provider, provider education, and health care organizational communication perspectives. Currently, he teaches a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate health, organizational, and interpersonal communication courses, including interdisciplinary health studies courses for health professions students.

• 1.Introduction: culture, capitalism, and communication. Section 1: The Impact of Organizational Culture on Health Care in America. 2.Physician Culture. 3.Nursing Culture. 4.Health Care Organization (nonprovider, nongovernment) Culture. 5.Health Consumer Culture. Section 2: The Impact of Capitalism on Health Care in America. 6.Capitalism and Health Care- The Government's Role. 7.Capitalism and Health Care- Health insurance. 8.Capitalism and Health Care-Technology and specialization. 9.Capitalism and Health Care-Pharmaceutical and device manufacturers. Section 3: The Impact of Communication in Healthcare in America. 10.Communication and Health Care. Section 4: Implications for Health Care Reform. 11.Understanding Health Care in America-The Future.