Book excerpt: The concept of this project is based on the premise that neurosurgeons are vital agents in the application of the American health care apparatus. They remain the true advocates for patients undergoing surgery for a neurological condition. Yet, the tenets of health care economics, health care policy, and the business of medicine remain largely debated within the context of politicians, policy experts, and administrators. This textbook will ease that gap. It will bring material generally absent from medical curricula into discussion. It will make potent features of health care economics, policy, and the business of practice digestible to clinical neurosurgeons in order to help them better treat their patients. The information provided in this text will also provide an excellent foundation for understanding the mechanics of running a neurosurgical practice. It simultaneously addresses career progression and opportunity evaluation.