David Meltzer MD, PhD
The University of Chicago
The effects of science and technology on health care costs depend on the policy context in which those technologies are developed and applied. Reimbursement policies are especially important determinants of which health technologies are developed and how they are used. Because technology is the major driver of increases in health care and a critical driver of improvements in health, rigorous methods to assess the costs and effectiveness of health care technology are critical for effective resource allocation. However, US policy has been resistant to using cost-effectiveness methods to inform reimbursement policies. Cost-effectiveness methods have also been extended to understand the value of innovation, to examine the effects of patient and provider behavior on costs and effectiveness and to prospectively estimate the value of research to inform research priorities. These illustrate the potential for cost-effectiveness methods to address policy questions other than reimbursement policy that can help mobilize technology and science to control health care costs while maximizing health outcomes.
See more of: Human Biology and Health
See more of: Symposia