The aim of this study was to examine the complex interactions between political traditions, policies, and public health outcomes, and to find out whether different political traditions have been associated with systematic patterns in population health over time. We analysed a number of political, economic, social, and health variables over a 50-year period, in a set of wealthy countries belongi...

d t e r t b a c 1 As of 2010, health care–related expenditures in the U.S. totaled some $2.6 trillion (17.9% of the gross domestic product [GDP]). Year after year, ealthcare spending rises at double the rate of overall DP growth, and total healthcare spending growth conistently outpaces overall inflation. This exuberant rowth would be welcome if health care were thriving ecause of its effıcienc...

This paper presents selected components of the most recent (1999) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Health Data. Previous trends in spending for health care, supply and use of health care resources, and health status are updated for the thirty industrialized countries in the OECD. In 1999 the United States spent 53 percent more on health care than any other OECD count...

BACKGROUND In the day surgery system are intertwined elements of state health policy, health care payers' interests, employers of health care system, as well as the interests and wishes of patients. A problem in the health policy is to find a way to regulate ambulatory and short-term surgical procedures, which are hardly distinguishable, and still fulfil the requirements of transparent financin...

This article looks at how healthcare IT can save hospitals and health services valuable funding and how these saving compare to the costs involved. The chief barriers to success and possible solutions to these difficulties are outlined. The author also points to the need for government intervention in implementing healthcare IT on a board scale. RICHARD HILLESTAD, PHD SENIOR MANAGEMENT SCIENTIS...

Progressive evaluations by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) demonstrate that health care is now or becoming unaffordable. This means nations must change the way they manage health care. The costly nature of health care in most nations, as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) seems independent of the national funding models. Increasing evidence is demonst...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) tracks and reports annually on more than 1,200 health system measures across 30 industrialized countries, ranging from population health status and nonmedical determinants of health to health care resources and utilization. Based on analysis of OECD health data from 2008, the United States continues to differ markedly from other c...

BACKGROUND Health systems delivery systems can be divided into two broad categories: National Health Services (NHS) on the one hand and Social Security (based) Health care systems (SSH) on the other hand. Existing literature is inconclusive about which system performs best. In this paper we would like to improve the evidence-base for discussion about pros and cons of NHS-systems versus SSH-syst...

BACKGROUND Typologies traditionally used for international comparisons of health systems often conflate many system characteristics. To capture policy changes over time and by service in health systems regulation of public and private insurance, we propose a database containing explicit, standardized indicators of policy instruments. METHODS The Health Insurance Access Database (HIAD) will co...

Health promotion impact factor: join up, no translation An increasing number of national research funding bodies are becoming aware that research without impact may be of limited value. In terms of the current dominant science paradigm unless cost-effectiveness can be demonstrated then the results of studies are almost useless. This is evidenced for example by the Organization for Economic Coop...