title: Cost-effectiveness of primary care.
abstract: This article is intended only as an introduction to the use of cost-effectiveness analysis in primary care. The goals are to provide a clear understanding of the difference between the cost of a treatment and its cost-effectiveness; consider what is generally a socially acceptable range for cost-effectiveness; provide some basic criteria for critically evaluating cost-effectiveness analyses in the medical literature; give some examples of the cost-effectiveness of various treatments in primary care; and provide for comparison some examples of cost-effectiveness in the world of specialty care. For those interested in more detail, excellent books and reviews are available, including the report of a US. Public Health Service-appointed expert panel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-8853, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Deyo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000191:economics; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol