Essays
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Inefficiencies in Health Care Provision - Burgess, James F.
This essay seeks to elucidate salient issues on the topic of inefficiency in the provision of health care. We begin with a discussion on the definition of efficiency, and the particular forms it can take in health care. From there, we define a useful framework for thinking about ways in which efficiency in the health care system can be improved. We describe cutting edge research being conducted in the field, and the major challenges to furthering the research agenda in this area, not the least of which is the unique nature of health care itself. We conclude with a discussion about key issues for future research, including the importance of incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives into this research. -
Rationing of Health Care - Mechanic, David
Rationing refers to the allocation of a scarce supply relative to need and demand. In market‐based economies, price typically establishes access to valued commodities except when ethical values, norms, and technical limitations make it impossible to allocate simply on the basis of price. Commonly recognized prototypes include allocation of scarce resources such as gasoline during war or currently in transplantation where the number of available organs is insufficient to respond to need and there are long waiting lists.