In broad terms, maintenance optimization models includes the mathematical models focused on finding either the optimal balance between costs and benefits of maintenance or the most appropriate time to execute maintenance. Parameters often considered in this optimization are the cost of failure, the cost per time unit of downtime, the cost (per time unit) of corrective and preventive maintenance...

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of increased prescription drug copayments on the therapeutic classes of drugs received and health status of the elderly. HYPOTHESES TESTED: Increased prescription drug copayments will reduce the relative exposure to, annual days use of, and prescription drug costs for drugs used in self-limiting conditions, but will not affect drugs used in progressive chronic con...

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation and relapse-prevention program for hospitalized adult smokers from the perspective of an implementing hospital. It is an economic analysis of a two-group, controlled clinical trial in two acute care hospitals owned by a large group-model health maintenance organization. The intervention included a 20-minute bedside co...

BACKGROUND Delivering an intervention to a group of patients to improve health outcomes is increasingly popular in public health and primary care, yet "group" is an umbrella term which encompasses a complex range of aims, theories, implementation processes and evaluation methods. We propose a framework for the design and process evaluation of health improvement interventions occurring in a grou...

PURPOSE To determine the cost-effectiveness of three management strategies for healed erosive reflux esophagitis: maintenance therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) from the outset; no maintenance therapy unless a patient's symptoms recur once over a year; and no maintenance therapy unless a patient's symptoms recur twice over a year. MATERIALS AND METHODS Decision analysis using data fro...

In this paper, a new maintenance model is presented in which both the interval of lifetime extension and the interval of preventive replacement can be optimised. Through lifetime extension, the deterioration can be delayed as such that failure is postponed and the lifetime of a component is extended. Through replacement, the condition of a component can be restored to its original condition. Th...