Slow Leaks

The gap between the demands placed on us by U.S. health care delivery and the ability of individuals - even the most informed and engaged among us - to meet those demands undermines the quality of our care, escalates its cost and diminishes its positive impact on our health.

What does it take for us and our families to find good care and make the most of it? And what can be done to help those who lack the skills, resources or capacities, or who are already ill, compensate for their inability to do so?

This collection of essays identifies some of the key challenges posed to most of us by health care as it is currently delivered in many settings. None of these challenges is monumental, but each one contributes to the steady erosion in quality of care and to a waste of resources. Each essay identifies a "slow leak" that saps value from the services and technologies we receive and suggests solutions that would benefit us and those who work with us to improve our health.