Robert E. Mechanic, M.B.A., is senior fellow at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, where his research focuses on health care reform, payment systems, and the adaptation of organizations to new financial incentives. He previously was senior vice president with the Massachusetts Hospital Association and vice president with the Lewin Group. Mr. Mechanic’s work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Health Affairs, and Business and Health. He earned an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.