Date of Award
1993
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
First Advisor
Arlene Taich
Second Advisor
Earline Hill
Third Advisor
Betty Lemasters
Abstract
Larry W. Pruett’s 1993 thesis, A Proposed New National Health Care Plan, explores the need for comprehensive reform of the U.S. health care system and outlines a detailed alternative model. Frustrated by inefficiencies, escalating costs, and limited access, Pruett evaluates the systems of Canada, Germany, and Japan, rating them on technology, public health, service, efficiency, and equity. He also reviews reform proposals from President Clinton, the American Medical Association, and the American Hospital Association.
Pruett’s plan shifts the primary point of care from hospitals to outpatient clinics, which would provide most non-emergency health services. Hospitals would retain a role for emergency and specialized care. Key to the plan is a fully integrated and computerized network that links doctors, clinics, and hospitals, improving coordination and reducing waste. The proposal emphasizes preventive medicine, streamlined services, and tort reform to control costs.
Using Alton, Illinois, as a case study, the thesis models resource allocation and demonstrates potential savings and service improvements. Pruett concludes that while reform may be painful, a centralized, clinic-focused system is both feasible and desirable. His plan aims to deliver high-quality care efficiently and equitably, offering a viable alternative to the fragmented U.S. system of the early 1990s.
Recommended Citation
Pruett, Larry W., "A Proposed New National Health Care Plan" (1993). Theses. 1322.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1322
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