Economic evaluation of innovative technologies in health care should include a short-run perspective.
Knowledge about the cost-effectiveness of innovative technologies or new guidelines in health care is more and more a necessary condition for implementation in common practice. However, there are situations where implementation of a new technology that is found more effective and cost effective and is strongly advocated by the medical profession stagnates. The reason for this is the discrepancy between long-run efficiency, on which cost effectiveness is based, and short-run efficiency. This paper addresses the potential paradox between long-run and short-run efficiency in health care and explores possibilities to overcome hurdles to implementation due to that paradox.
Adang
Eddy M M
EM
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and HTA, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, HP138, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. e.adang@mta.umcn.nl
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000191:economics*; D018803:Models, Economic; D013997:Time Factors