New Book, ‘The Center of the Star,’ Charts the Way for Reforming American Healthcare

In "The Center of the Star," Judith Kunisch presents a sector-based roadmap for reforming U.S. healthcare through systems thinking and strategic collaboration.

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, June 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In the new book "The Center of the Star: Understanding and Changing the U.S. Healthcare System," healthcare strategist Judith Kunisch examines medical care’s flaws and strengths, and points the way to reforming the system.

For Kunisch, failing to act is not an option.

“The status quo is unacceptable,” she writes. “Legitimate change is necessary.”

In The Center of the Star, published by Advantage Books and now available, Kunisch introduces her “star framework,” which breaks down the healthcare system into five major sectors that serve as the points on her star. The five are: consumers/patients, providers, payers, policymakers/regulators, and the health industrial complex.

Kunisch says understanding those sectors and how they relate to and interact with each other is key for anyone proposing significant changes to healthcare.
Unfortunately, people who are critical of how healthcare operates in the United States often want to dismantle the entire system. She acknowledges there are plenty of reasons for dissatisfaction with healthcare, including high costs, administrative complexity, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities. But while those and other troublesome areas must be addressed, she says, there is also a lot of good in the system, and wholesale change could disrupt what’s working without guaranteeing something better.

“Dismantle the healthcare system and you’re begging for disaster,” she writes.

Instead, the key is to develop a thorough understanding of each of the five sectors, how they interrelate, and how changes to one could have a ripple effect on the others. Patience is also required.

“Changing a system this size takes years,” Kunisch writes. “There will be numerous and varied challenges. However, always keep in mind that the U.S. healthcare system is a system that is already constantly changing. So why not initiate effective and sustainable change through systems thinking and collaborating with others across all sectors?”

About Judith Kunisch
Judith Kunisch, author of The Center of the Star: Understanding and Changing the U.S. Healthcare System, is a seasoned healthcare strategist, leader, and educator whose expertise spans healthcare economics, executive leadership, and innovative service operations. She has worked in a variety of leadership roles alongside providers, payers, and policymakers on behalf of healthcare consumers and patients. Most recently, Kunisch led Yale University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Healthcare Leadership program. She has earned awards such as the Robert U. Massey, MD, Award for Distinguished Service and the T. Stewart Hamilton Fellowship for Healthcare Management.

About Advantage Books
Advantage Books is an imprint of the publishing arm of Advantage––The Authority Company. For two decades, Advantage Books has helped CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and other professionals share their expertise and build their Authority by writing a book. Over the years, Advantage has given these authors an alternative to traditional nonfiction publishing. Advantage authors are leaders who have credentials and expertise to share, combined with a strong reputation in their industry. Advantage Books provides these authors with a team of experts to assist in such areas as book concept and developmental writing, editorial and design, printing and distribution, and promotions.

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