Book excerpt: Health Care Administration: Managing Organized Delivery Systems, Fifth Edition provides graduate and pre-professional students with a comprehensive, detailed overview of the numerous facets of the modern healthcare system, focusing on functions and operations at both the corporate and hospital level. The Fifth Edition of this authoritative text comprises several new subjects, including new chapters on patient safety and ambulatory care center design and planning. Other updated topics include healthcare information systems, management of nursing systems, labor and employment law, and financial management, as well discussions on current healthcare policy in the United States. Health Care Administration: Managing Organized Delivery Systems, Fifth Edition continues to be one of the most effective teaching texts in the field, addressing operational, technical and organizational matters along with the day-to-day responsibilities of hospital administrators. Broad in scope, this essential text has now evolved to offer the most up-to-date, comprehensive treatment of the organizational functions of today's complex and ever-changing healthcare delivery system.