TY  - JOUR
T1  - Health care cost and value: The way forward
AU  - McMahon LF, Chopra V
Y1  - 2012/02/15
N1  - 10.1001/jama.2012.136
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 671
EP  - 672
VL  - 307
IS  - 7
N2  - 
Although there is no more contentious area than the interface between health care delivery and public policy, the fundamental precepts of the health care cost conundrum are simple. Health care cost is merely the sum of services delivered multiplied by their price. To decrease overall health expenditure, either the cost, number of services, or both must decrease. However, this formula must be moderated by clinical value. Although it is easy to measure cost, quantifying value is problematic because it varies by patient preference and clinical circumstance. As the debate regarding the definition of valuable health care continues, a more fundamental problem has developed: the inability to eliminate services that offer little or no clinical value.2- 3 Any rational attempt to address health care cost must first address these services.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.136
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.136
ER  -