title: To use technology better.
abstract: Although technological innovation can improve health outcomes, the precise magnitude of the contribution and its value are not easily measured. The findings reported by Jonathan Skinner and colleagues temper the favorable conclusions reached by observing correlations between improvement in heart attack outcomes over time with spending on medical products and services. Improvements in health care depend not only on producing better technologies, but also on using technology better.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. garber@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Garber
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000191:economics*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D012052:Reimbursement, Incentive; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States