by Tony Chen

If you've been following Hospital Impact, you'll be very familiar with the voice of Nick Jacobs. If not, let me give you a quick intro: He's a middle school band teacher turned hospital CEO in a mining town that had no business surviving the loss of their mining industry. Some would even say that Jacobs helped save the town through the hospital he led and transformed, Windber Medical Center. Instead of dying a slow death, the small community hospital is now internationally known for innovation, for proteomic research, and for its patient-centric healing environment. Not a likely place for the largest breast tissue bank in the country or the daily smell of freshly baked bread, wouldn't you say?

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Nick has been blogging here at Hospital Impact for almost 3 years (which is like 15 years in the real world), sharing insights and tidbits on everything from housekeeping to transparency to leadership. His passion for healthcare is contagious and he has been taking the hell out of healthcare for decades.

As such, Nick has recently released a book (get it on amazon.com) that talks exactly to that point. Whether you're a patient, a family member of a patient, a physician, or a hospital administrator, read this book for an insider's look into hospital care, and how you can get the best care possible at your next visit. And as hospital leaders, this book will remind us again to see our patients as people - something that we as administrators can forget sometimes when we are surrounded by ppt, xls, and doc all day long.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!