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Cost-Effectiveness in Health Care

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One goal of health policy research is to improve cost effectiveness without compromising quality of care. RAND researchers examine treatments, programs, drugs, and technologies in terms of their costs, their cost effectiveness, and the alternatives that may or may not present a better, more efficient way forward.

Commentary

Options for Designing a Public Option

May 28, 2020

State and federal policymakers are considering adding state-backed public options to the individual market in an effort to expand health coverage and improve affordability. We analyzed what would happen if public options became available in U.S. health insurance exchanges.
Commentary

Why States' 'Netflix Model' Prescription Drug Arrangements Are No Silver Bullet

Jul 1, 2020

Despite the buzz and catchy notion that subscription models are "Netflix for drugs," it's hard to come up with a theoretical case that supports subscription models over traditional price negotiation between payers and manufacturers over a per-dose or per-unit price.

Explore Cost-Effectiveness in Health Care

Research Brief

Improving Coordination and Efficiency of Care for Veterans

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) can better use its scarce resources through improved coordination with the private sector to reduce potential redundancies. The VHA can also provide access to high-quality care and meet rapidly changing needs.

Jul 2, 2013
Report

Coordination May Improve VA Efficiency, Reduce Health Care Spending

To improve health care spending and efficiency, the Department of Veterans Affairs should reduce dual use of both Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and non-VHA care, coordinate care between both systems, integrate electronic information, and consider a pilot program through which to test these recommendations.

Jul 2, 2013
Brochure

Evaluating Medicare Demonstration Projects

RAND works closely with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to design, test, implement, and evaluate demonstration projects that span a wide range of care settings and issues.

Jun 26, 2013
Research Brief

Does Integrated Care Deliver the Expected Benefits?

Among 16 pilot initiatives, no single approach to integrated care suits all circumstances. Plus, changes often took longer than anticipated. Overall, pilots produced mixed results.

May 13, 2013
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.

Feb 26, 2013
News Release

More Changes in Health Care Needed to Fulfill Promise of Health Information Technology

Despite wide investments nationally in electronic medical records and related tools, the cost-saving promise of health information technology has not been reached because the systems deployed are neither interconnected nor easy to use.

Jan 7, 2013
Journal Article

Evaluation of a Center of Excellence Program for Spine Surgery

The objective of our study was to assess whether hospitals designated as spine surgery centers of excellence by a group of over 25 health plans provided higher quality care.

Jan 1, 2013
Journal Article

Centers of Excellence: No Difference in Costs But Better Hip Replacement

Medicare and private plans encourage individuals to use hospitals that are designated as centers of excellence. Evidence shows that the costs of knee and hip replacements in centers of excellence do not differ from other hospitals, but patients who had hip replacements in such centers had lower complication rates.

Jan 1, 2013
Journal Article

Price Shopping in Consumer-Directed Health Plans

Based on insurance claims for nine common outpatient services in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), researchers found no evidence that those with lower expected medical expenses engaged in more price shopping. Consumers did not engage in more price shopping before reaching the CDHP deductible, either.

Jan 1, 2013
News Release

Changing Financial Incentives, Other Strategies Can Improve Impact of Comparative Effectiveness Studies on Patient Care

Comparative effectiveness research conducted over the past decade has had a limited impact on the way medical care is delivered, but many opportunities exist to help doctors and others in the medical system translate such research into better patient care.

Oct 9, 2012
Journal Article

Comparing Similar Therapies May Yield More Questions Than Answers

About $500 million a year is being spent in the United States. on comparative effectiveness studies that will conclude that therapy A can, or cannot, be distinguished from therapy B. But will physicians be able to use such information to arrive at better decisions for their patients?

Oct 1, 2012
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.

Jun 14, 2012
News Release

Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending

If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually—about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly.

May 7, 2012
Journal Article

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Interferon Beta-1b for the Treatment of Patients with a First Clinical Event Suggestive of Multiple Sclerosis

Early treatment with IFNB-1b for a first clinical event suggestive of MS was found to improve patient outcomes while controlling costs.

May 1, 2012
Journal Article

Eliminating Waste in US Health Care

The need is urgent to bring US health care costs into a sustainable range for both public and private payers.

Apr 1, 2012
Report

National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots: Appendices

This report contains appendices to the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs).

Mar 22, 2012
Report

National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots

This report is the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs).

Mar 22, 2012
Report

National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots: Summary

This report is a summary of the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs).

Mar 22, 2012
Journal Article

Do Physicians Need a "Shopping Cart" for Health Care Services?

The technology of the ubiquitous electronic shopping cart could be adapted to help physicians understand the cost of the services they order for patients, and possibly change the mix and total costs of the products in the cart.

Feb 1, 2012
Journal Article

Are Complementary Therapies and Integrative Care Cost-Effective? A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations

A comprehensive systematic review of economic evaluations of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) to establish the value of these therapies to health reform efforts.

Jan 1, 2012

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