Welcome to the world of decision analysis. This preface will introduce you
to the purpose and organization of this book. This book describes how analytical
tools can be used to help healthcare managers and policymakers make
complex decisions. It provides numerous examples in healthcare settings,
including benchmarking performance of clinicians, implementing projects,
planning scenarios, allocating resources, analyzing the effect of HMO penetration,
setting insurance rates, conducting root-cause analysis, and negotiating
employment agreements.