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1: Emerg Infect Dis. 2001 Mar-Apr;7(2):282-5.Click here to read Click here to read Links

Applying economic principles to health care.

Scott RD 2nd, Solomon SL, McGowan JE Jr.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. Dscott1@cdc.gov

Applying economic thinking to an understanding of resource use in patient care is challenging given the complexities of delivering health care in a hospital. Health-care markets lack the characteristics needed to determine a "market" price that reflects the economic value of resources used. However, resource allocation in a hospital can be analyzed by using production theory to determine efficient resource use. The information provided by hospital epidemiologists is critical to understanding health-care production processes used by a hospital and developing economic incentives to promote antibiotic effectiveness and infection control.

PMID: 11294724 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2631712