Aging and population growth both contribute importantly to the rise in health care costs. However, the percentage contribution of these factors declined between 1970 and 1990, and we expect a continued decline through 2005. Data indicate that the relative costs of treating patients age sixty-five and over grew more rapidly than did the costs of treating other patients. Sensitivity analyses indi...

BACKGROUND Integrated care pathways which cover multiple care settings are increasingly used as a tool to structure care, enhance coordination and improve transitions between care settings. However, little is known about their economic impact. The objective of this study is to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of an integrated care pathway designed for patients with complex heal...

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is becoming increasingly popular as society moves toward rationalizing health costs. This review describes the applications and limitations of the technique. Conceptually simple though frequently complicated in application, CEA compares the cost of a procedure with its effectiveness, thus helping an administrator to judge whether the procedure is worth its cost...

The value of cancer care has emerged at the center of a national discourse on fiscal responsibility and resource allocation. The cost of cancer care is rising at a higher pace than any other area of health care. As we struggle to address this unsustainable rise in cancer expenditures, oncology providers are forced to examine our practice patterns and our contributions to the overall health care...

Introduction Innovations in medical care have led to improvements in quality and quantity of life. Researchers estimated that improvements in medical care contributed to the life expectancy for newborns increasing by almost seven years from 1960 to 2000. However, U.S. health spending reached an estimated 2.7 trillion dollars in 2010 and the health share of the gross domestic product is projecte...

Consumers are the only ones who can affect all decision points that drive health care cost and quality. As a result, consumers' health and financial security depend on their taking more responsibility for their health care decisions and having the tools and information needed to do so successfully. This article explains the five key decision points that drive health care cost and quality, how t...

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia and affects about 25 million people worldwide. Recent studies have evaluated the effect of early interventions for dementia, but few studies have considered private time and transportation costs associated with the intervention. This study assessed the total economic costs associated with a multifaceted intervention for mild Alzhei...

The Canadian context in which home-based healthcare services are delivered is characterised by limited resources and escalating healthcare costs. As a result, a financing shift has occurred, whereby care recipients receive a mixture of publicly and privately financed home-based services. Although ensuring that care recipients receive efficient and equitable care is crucial, a limited understand...

The paper by Bruce Fireman and colleagues is an important contribution to the dialogue about the role of chronic disease management in quality improvement and health care cost mitigation. There is much enthusiasm for the potential impact of disease management techniques on the costs associated with chronic and complex health conditions. This Perspective describes several considerations that are...

Health care expenditures in the United States were 10.5 percent of the gross national product in 1982, and growing rapidly. The magnitude and continuing growth make health care costs an important issue in public policy. Knowledge of costs for specific diseases is necessary for ascertaining the effectiveness and efficiency of various health programs. In this article, medical care expenditures fo...