title: Key concepts in health care priority setting.
abstract: In decisions about inclusion (or exclusion) of health care services in the benefit package, different interpretations of notions like health, health risk, disease, quality of life or necessary care often remain implicit. Yet they can lead to different benefit package decisions. After a brief discussion of these concepts in definitions of the goals of medicine, the various value-judgements implicit in interpretations of key notions in health care are analysed and conclusions are drawn with regard to the composition of decision making bodies at various levels. It is further argued that such a body needs to discuss the various interpretations of key-notions explicitly in the various phases of a priority-setting procedure so that more consistent choices can be made in health care priority setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine, University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. R.Hoedemaekers@efg.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Rogeer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoedemaekers
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dekkers
mesh_terms: D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D006287:Health Planning Guidelines; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011788:Quality of Life