Why did the three of you write this book?
It really began as a way to help our employees – some of whom hadn’t worked in healthcare before – better understand key aspects of the industry and our role in helping consumers regain control over their own healthcare. I began writing by covering some of the basics – providers, bills, insurance, industry terminology – and things just cascaded from there. The more Christopher (co-author and change:healthcare co-founder Christopher Parks) and I experienced the healthcare system, the more I personally wrote, and the more Christopher urged me on. Katrina (co-author Katrina Welty) and Christopher also began adding in their personal perspective. While we’re not mega-gurus concerning all the ins and outs of the industry, we felt we had a lot of practical insights and believed the information important enough to go beyond it simply being an internal white paper.

What did you learn in the process?
That we’re not alone in believing that the American healthcare system today is very complex and confusing… and that navigating it sometimes can be a challenge. But, it also became obvious that consumers can be a very effective part of reforming the system… by exerting their control and their choices. They need not fear taking the reins of their care, and the payment for that care. While the book’s contents are the result of our personal experiences, when these lessons are shared, we know we can help others better understand what might be smart courses of action for ourselves and our families.

What do you hope will happen as a result of the book?
Healthcare is moving in radically different directions today and consumers need to understand the system better. As more of the cost is pushed into consumers’ laps, more of the control needs to be grabbed by their hands! All three of us are simply trying to give consumers practical tools they can use in dealing with the overwhelming nature of this industry… tools that put them back in control over their healthcare. Simply put, we’d like to see consumers take the book, implement its lessons and really help their families live a better life.

How does this all relate to your company, change:healthcare?
Christopher and I launched change:heathcare to bring increased transparency into the healthcare industry by following the dollar for the consumer. Our hope was to get more information into consumer hands to help them make better healthcare decisions. Along the way if we could usher in a new consumerism long missing in the healthcare industry, all the better. This book just seems a logical enhancement to this idea.

Click here to download the Microsoft Word version of this interview.