title: Decision analysis: balancing quality and cost.
abstract: Healthcare reform is a topic consuming the time and energy of many healthcare professionals, administrators, and politicians. One goal of reform is to improve value--better quality health care for less cost. Unfortunately, much of the current debate proceeds without clear definitions of quality or cost. To have profitable discussion, we must have precise definitions. With these definitions in hand, the technique of decision analysis provides a unique opportunity to evaluate quality and costs of healthcare decisions simultaneously. We believe it is imperative for physicians to become familiar with this important and powerful tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, St Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, St Paul, MN 55101-2595, USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Brasel
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Weigelt
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D014481:United States