The supply-side economics of abortion.

1466 to improve on existing device performance while maintaining acceptable economic value. This information could then inform postmarketing surveillance efforts, triggering reviews at prespecified efficacy or complication thresholds and facilitating rapid application of new data as they become available. Manufacturers could use such data to improve device development; researchers could identify target populations for evaluating novel technologies; insurers could identify opportunities for value-based reimbursement ; and consumers could be educated about what clinical benefits they are getting for their money. The complex trade-offs between short-and long-term health and economic consequences of technological innovation may not be captured by even the most sophisticated random-ized trials. Model-based approaches may provide invaluable insights for evaluating medical device innovation and merit consideration as a standard component of the evaluation process. Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org. A prospective study of 80,000 total joint and 5000 anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction procedures in a community-based registry in the United States. et al. Impact of obesity and knee osteoarthri-tis on morbidity and mortality in older Amer-icans. U nder legislation recently signed by Kansas's governor, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued new licensing standards for abortion clinics. The regulations stipulate, among other requirements, that facilities must have procedure rooms of at least 150 ft 2 ; each procedure room must have jani-torial space of at least 50 ft 2 ; facilities must have designated dressing rooms for patients and separate ones for staff; and each dressing room must have a toilet, a washing station, and storage for clothing. 1 Two physicians who provide abortions in their office-based practice filed suit, stating that the requirements were unnecessary to ensure patient safety and would force them to stop providing abortion services. On July 1, 2011, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction allowing all three providers in Kansas to continue operating for the time being. Such licensing requirements reflect an aggressive new thrust on the part of abortion opponents. Early approaches to restricting abortion access were directed largely at patients — the demand side of the market. For instance, laws requiring parental involvement in a minor's decision to abort, limiting Medicaid funding of abortion, mandating the provision of information including unfounded claims about risks, and requiring a 24-hour waiting period between receipt of mandated information and an abortion are all efforts to discourage women from terminating …