Big studies, simple lessons.
Goldman describes how service systems research examines the impact of economic and organizational strategies designed to promote particular service combinations (such as continuity of care) and inhibit others (such as preferentially serving only those individuals who are the easiest to treat). The recurring theme from the large services research initiatives is that the content of care, as well as the organization and financing of care, matters. This theme is distinct from what these large services research projects were designed to assess, which speaks both to the unexpected benefits from these massive studies and the need for more efficient tools to examine the interrelationships among the organization, financing and content of care.
Essock
Susan M.
SM
Professor and Director, Division of Health Services Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 6574, USA.