PLUNKETT'S HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY ALMANAC, the eighth edition of our guide to the health care field, is designed to be used as a general source for researchers of all types.

The data and areas of interest covered are intentionally broad, ranging from the costs and effectiveness of the American health care system, to emerging technology, to an in-depth look at the 500 major for-profit firms (which we call THE HEALTH CARE 500) within the many industry sectors that make up the health care system.

This reference book is designed to be a general source for researchers. It is especially intended to assist with market research, strategic planning, employment searches, contact or prospect list creation (be sure to see the export capabilities of the accompanying CD-ROM that is available to book and eBook buyers) and financial research, and as a data resource for executives and students of all types.

PLUNKETT'S HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY ALMANAC takes a rounded approach for the general reader. This book presents a complete overview of the health care field (see “How To Use This Book”). For example, Medicare and Medicaid growth and expenditures are provided in exacting detail, along with easy-to-use charts and tables on all facets of health care in general: from where health care dollars come from to how they are spent.

THE HEALTH CARE 500 is our unique grouping of the biggest, most successful corporations in all segments of the health care industry. Tens of thousands of pieces of information, gathered from a wide variety of sources, have been researched and are presented in a unique form that can be easily understood. This section includes thorough indexes to THE HEALTH CARE 500, by geography, industry, sales, brand names, subsidiary names and many other topics. (See Chapter 4.)

Especially helpful is the way in which PLUNKETT'S HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY ALMANAC enables readers who have no business background to readily compare the financial records and growth plans of health care companies and major industry groups. You’ll see the mid-term financial record of each firm, along with the impact of earnings, sales and strategic plans on each company’s potential to fuel growth, to serve new markets and to provide investment and employment opportunities.

No other source provides this book’s easy-to-understand comparisons of growth, expenditures, technologies, corporations and many other items of great importance to people of all types who may be studying this, one of the largest and most complex industries in the world today.

By scanning the data groups and the unique indexes, you can find the best information to fit your personal research needs. The major growth companies in health care are profiled and then ranked using several different groups of specific criteria. Which firms are the biggest employers? Which companies earn the most profits? These things and much more are easy to find.

In addition to individual company profiles, an overview of health care markets and trends is provided. This book’s job is to help you sort through easy-to-understand summaries of today’s trends in a quick and effective manner.

Whatever your purpose for researching the health care field, you’ll find this book to be a valuable guide. Nonetheless, as is true with all resources, this volume has limitations that the reader should be aware of:

• Financial data and other corporate information can change quickly. A book of this type can be no more current than the data that was available as of the time of editing. Consequently, the financial picture, management and ownership of the firm(s) you are studying may have changed since the date of this book. For example, this almanac includes the most up-to-date sales figures and profits available to the editors as of late-2005. That means that we have typically used corporate financial data as of the end of 2004.
  
  
• Corporate mergers, acquisitions and downsizing are occurring at a very rapid rate. Such events may have created significant change, subsequent to the publishing of this book, within a company you are studying.
  
  
• Someof the companies in THE HEALTH CARE 500 are so large in scope and in variety of business endeavors conducted within a parent organization, that we have been unable to completely list all subsidiaries, affiliations, divisions and activities within a firm’s corporate structure.
  
  
• This volume is intended to be a general guide to a vast industry. That means that researchers should look to this book for an overview and, when conducting in-depth research, should contact the specific corporations or industry associations in question for the very latest changes and data. Where possible, we have listed contact names, toll-free telephone numbers and World Wide Web site addresses for the companies, government agencies and industry associations involved so that the reader may get further details without unnecessary delay.
  
  
• Tables of industry data and statistics used in this book include the latest numbers available at the time of printing, generally through the end of 2004. In a few cases, the only complete data available was for earlier years.
  
  
• We have used exhaustive efforts to locate and fairly present accurate and complete data. However, when using this book or any other source for business and industry information, the reader should use caution and diligence by conducting further research where it seems appropriate. We wish you success in your endeavors, and we trust that your experience with this book will be both satisfactory and productive.
  

Jack W. Plunkett
Houston, Texas
October 2005