Competition in Health Care
 

 One of the trends marking the continuing transformation of the U.S.  health care industry is the dramatic increase in the pace of  competition. The heightened competition is taking place among hospitals,  health plans, physician groups, and drug companies, and between  physicians and hospitals, and hospitals and health plans. Listen to the  Looking Ahead: The Future of Health Care Policy podcast from National  Public Radio (NPR). Then, prepare a three- to five-page paper in which  you: 

• Describe the different forms of competition that take place among various types of health care organizations.
• Evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and  suggest alternatives if competition was not the primary driver of  operations in the U.S. health care system.
• Explain the elements of successful competition and the use of competitive intelligence.
• Describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have.

Your paper must be at least three double-spaced pages (excluding title  and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined  in the Ashford Writing Center. Utilize a minimum of two scholarly  sources that were published within the last five years. One source must  be obtained from the Ashford University Library and focus on competition  health care. All sources must be documented in APA style as outlined in  the Ashford Writing Center.