Huw T.O. Davies - Böcker

Controlling costs in health care is rarely something that can be tackled in isolation. Cost control invariably interacts with issues of quality and health care access. Thus, this diverse collection of papers is concerned not just with costs but more importantly with value. Both macro and micro concerns are covered. At the macro level, health care reforms (and especially the ’marketisation’ of health care systems) receive some attention. Papers explore how policy prescriptions get translated and modified during implementation, and assess how these prescriptions impact on both the incentive context and subsequent patterns of service delivery. Resource allocation within bureaucratic health systems continues to pose problems and these too are analysed with new solutions being proposed. At the micro level, a number of contributors wrestle with the difficulties of carrying out the economic evaluation of new drugs and technologies. In each case, the wider theoretical and practical implications of balancing costs and benefits are explored. This collection should prove helpful to health care policy specialists, managers and researchers interested in gaining a feel for the real-world application of cost-focused health services research.

Controlling costs in health care is rarely something that can be tackled in isolation. Cost control invariably interacts with issues of quality and health care access. Thus, this diverse collection of papers is concerned not just with costs but more importantly with value. Both macro and micro concerns are covered. At the macro level, health care reforms (and especially the ’marketisation’ of health care systems) receive some attention. Papers explore how policy prescriptions get translated and modified during implementation, and assess how these prescriptions impact on both the incentive context and subsequent patterns of service delivery. Resource allocation within bureaucratic health systems continues to pose problems and these too are analysed with new solutions being proposed. At the micro level, a number of contributors wrestle with the difficulties of carrying out the economic evaluation of new drugs and technologies. In each case, the wider theoretical and practical implications of balancing costs and benefits are explored. This collection should prove helpful to health care policy specialists, managers and researchers interested in gaining a feel for the real-world application of cost-focused health services research.

This title was first published in 2002: Health systems across the globe face similar problems: controlling costs while maintaining or improving health care quality and access. Notwithstanding the unprecedented health system reforms of the past decades, many outstanding problems remain in these areas. Drawing on experts from Europe and America this eclectic collection of leading edge research examines the impact of organizational development on improving quality and efficiency in health care. A series of chapters provide accounts of organizational reconfiguration in the UK and elsewhere. The contributors examine how structural and procedural changes must be matched by the development of human resource services if increases in efficiency and effectiveness are to be achieved. The book will be of interest to health care academics, policy makers, managers and practitioners who are interested in keeping abreast of the latest developments in health care research.

This title was first published in 2002: Health systems across the globe face similar problems: controlling costs while maintaining or improving health care quality and access. Notwithstanding the unprecedented health system reforms of the past decades, many outstanding problems remain in these areas. Drawing on experts from Europe and America this eclectic collection of leading edge research examines the impact of organizational development on improving quality and efficiency in health care. A series of chapters provide accounts of organizational reconfiguration in the UK and elsewhere. The contributors examine how structural and procedural changes must be matched by the development of human resource services if increases in efficiency and effectiveness are to be achieved. The book will be of interest to health care academics, policy makers, managers and practitioners who are interested in keeping abreast of the latest developments in health care research.

This title was first published in 2001. Enhancing the quality of health services remains a key challenge for all health systems, whatever their stage of development. This collection of leading-edge research from Europe and America explores both quantitative and qualitative approaches to identifying and remedying deficiencies in health care.

This title was first published in 2001. Enhancing the quality of health services remains a key challenge for all health systems, whatever their stage of development. This collection of leading-edge research from Europe and America explores both quantitative and qualitative approaches to identifying and remedying deficiencies in health care.