Cost Containment and Efficiency in National Health Systems: A Global Comparison

Written by local health economics experts, each of the eight chapters in this timely handbook and ready reference describes the national healthcare system of a different industrialized country. In each case, the 4–5 specific policies with the highest impact on that respective country over the past 20–30 years are identified. In addition, the economic characteristics of each policy are described and, where possible, its success evaluated, discussing the current policy agenda. A final chapter summarizes and synthesizes the major points of the analysis.
While the main focus is on economics, this guide is written in non–technical language for an audience of health policy decision makers or students of health policy, making it an invaluable contribution to the current debate surrounding the control of rising healthcare–related costs in the developed world.


Spis treści:
Introduction And Summary (John Rapoport)
– Highlights of each country′s approach
– How are Cost containment and economic efficiency related?
– Strategies and their effects: a cross country analysis
– Current Policy Agenda
Canada (Raisa Deber)
– Canada′s Health Care System
– Paying for Canadian Health Care
– Delivering Health Care in Canada
– Overall expenditure trends
– Cost control strategies employed
–
Current situation
Strategies To Improve Efficiency In The English National Health Service (Adam Oliver)
– Introduction
– Structural characteristics of the NHS
– The efficiency initiatives
– Conclusion
Strategies For Cost Containment In Finnish Health Care: Decentralization And Price Regulation (Unto Hakkinen)
– Introduction
– Finnish health care system
– Strategies for municipal health services
– Cost containment in services covered by NHI
– Lessons f rom Finland
Germany (Markus Worz and Reinhard Busse)
– A review of the major structural and operational characteristics of German health system
– Major cost containment and efficiency seeking strategies
– Report on the current situation
The Netherlands: From Limiting Supply To Limiting Demand (Werner Brouwer and Frans Rutten)
– Introduction
– The Dutch health care system in transition
– Cost containment through the years
– Future challenges
Japan (Akinoi Hisashige)
– HealthcareExpenditure Trends in Japan
– Healthcare System in Japan
– Cost Containment Strategy in Japan
– Recent trends and Future challenges
New Zealand (Toni Ashton)
– Introduction
– Overview of NZ system
– Global budgets
– The quasi–market reforms
– Management of pharmaceutical expenditure
– Priority setting
– Management of waiting lists
– Current agenda
– Conclusion
Sweden (Bengt Jonsson)
– Introduction
– Paying for performance –
DRG based payments to ospitals
– Reference pricing and generic substitution
– Health technology assessment
– The current situation


Nota biograficzna:

EDITORS
John Rapoport
Professor of Economics
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Ma
USA
rapoport@mtholyoke.edu
Philip Jacobs
Institute of Health Economics
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
pjacobs@ihe.ca
Egon Jonsson
Institute of Health Economics
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
ejonsson@ihe.ca