Cost-Effectiveness in Health Care

commentary

Moving Outpatient Care into the Community

A prominent feature of NHS England policy, “moving care into the community” means that care traditionally provided in hospitals is moved into primary care, such as general practice. This can benefit patients, but it is also important to look at the costs.

Celine Miani, Eleanor Winpenny

commentary

Can Hospital Services Work in Primary Care Settings?

Shifting health care from hospitals to the community will only be justified if patient satisfaction and convenience is valued above costs to the NHS, or if this shift reduces health care costs in the long term.

Celine Miani, Eleanor Winpenny

commentary

What Do Stakeholders Say About Comparative-Effectiveness Research?

Insurers, employers, and industry are some of the stakeholder groups that are critical to the success of comparative-effectiveness research. Current research models may not provide stakeholders with all the information they need to support their involvement.

Thomas W. Concannon @tconcannon, Virginia Kotzias, et al.

commentary

Policy Barriers to Best Practices: The Impact of Restrictive State Regulations on Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives

Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods of birth control, which include the intrauterine device and subdermal implant, are highly effective, very safe, preferable to women, and cost effective. But some states' contraceptive policies create direct and indirect barriers to LARC use.

Priya Batra, Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD

commentary

Can Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Improve Health Care?

A review in 2017 of the adequacy and use of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Funds will be used to determine whether funding levels should be continued or adjusted after its authorization runs out in 2019. Researchers ought to take stock of the work in patient-centered outcomes research.

Thomas W. Concannon @tconcannon

commentary

Paying for Pricey Medications: Debt Financing Options Could Provide a Solution

A new approach may be needed to finance an emerging breed of expensive but highly effective pharmaceuticals and vaccines. The health care industry could learn from other industry approaches such as equipment leases or supplier-financed credit.

Soeren Mattke

commentary

Knowing When to Say Yes to Medical Technology

CT lung cancer screening turns out to be like many new medical technologies: It improves health but is quite expensive. Moreover, it needs implementation that targets those most likely to benefit and provides them the care they need efficiently.

Emmett B. Keeler

commentary

The Delayed Promise of Health-Care IT

Globally, the health IT industry should not wait to be forced by government regulators into doing a better job. Developers can boost the pace of adoption by creating more standardized systems that are easier to use, truly interoperable, and afford patients greater access to and control over their personal health data.

Arthur L. Kellermann, Spencer S. Jones

blog

Physicians Can Lead the Way in Reducing Health Care Waste

Physicians are in an ideal position to identify and eliminate health care waste by categorizing all medical services into four distinct types.

commentary

Can the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Become Relevant to Controlling Medical Costs and Improving Value?

A scientific and political case could be made to amend health care legislation to require that cost be included in the studies that the PCORI funds, writes Robert H. Brook.

Robert H. Brook

commentary

Is Choice of Physician and Hospital an Essential Benefit?

The movement toward reporting results of surgeons and hospitals will probably lead to a society in which the wealthy receive care from the better hospitals and physicians, writes Robert H. Brook.

Robert H. Brook

commentary

Disruption and Innovation in Health Care

Successful health care reform may provide virtually all individuals in the United States an adequate health insurance package. However, the need to increase value for health care dollars will extend far beyond the current policy window, writes Robert Brook.

Robert H. Brook

commentary

Assessing the Appropriateness of Care—Its Time Has Come

The appropriateness assessment system is a concrete way the medical profession could respond to the need to produce more efficient and effective care, writes Robert Brook.

Robert H. Brook

commentary

Possible Outcomes of Comparative Effectiveness Research

Since the government is using taxpayer dollars to fund the comparative effectiveness initiative, it would be appropriate to have an organizing principle to guide the selection of which aspects of medical care to examine, writes Robert Brook.

Robert H. Brook