Now more than a complete introduction to the business side of physical therapy, the new Second Edition has been greatly expanded to reflect the many legislative, economic, and educational events that have affected the physical therapy profession in recent years. Nineteen new chapters and fifteen fully revised chapters provide an up-to-date, expanded view of the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s physical therapists. Business concepts covered include healthcare economics, payment sources, accounting, billing, human resource management, marketing, outcomes measurement, and legal concepts. This edition is consistent with the American Physical Therapy Association’s Section on Health Care Policy and Administration.

This book examines alternative ways of protecting patent rights using the law and economics framework of property and liability rules. Traditional compulsory licenses are compared with the most recent discussions on the choice between granting or denying injunctive relief for patents (ex post liability rules). The debate about strategic behavior triggered by the patent system, especially in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court decision in eBay v. MercExchange is discussed, along with policy perspectives on both sides of the Atlantic. The problem of calculating the level of compensation, which is one of the most important critiques against the use of liability rules in patent law, is also examined in depth. The book concludes by suggesting that a coherent patent system could opt for property rules in general cases, while leaving enough space for exceptions and limited liability rules. Curtailing exceptions and limitations to patent rights, including the use of patent liability rules, could otherwise risk stifling innovation and even contradicting the goals of patent law.