title: The Economic Issues of Hemodialysis Therapy within the Japanese Health Care System.
abstract: Expenditure on hemodialysis therapy is high within the Japanese health care system, and cost reductions are desirable to maintain the system. Under these circumstances, both a macroeconomic analysis and a microeconomic analysis of the country's health care system are needed to elucidate its problems.
  
  
  
  A macroeconomic analysis showed that Japan's sluggish GDP growth since the 1990s has been a major problem in the allocation of health care resources, and government policies have been put in place to reduce health care expenditure. In contrast, a microeconomic analysis showed that the Japanese health care system is being run very efficiently. For hemodialysis therapy specifically, the mortality rate is low and medical costs are not high, indicating that treatment is being provided in a highly efficient manner. Key Messages: These results suggest the direction that Japan's health care system, including hemodialysis therapy, should take will increase health care expenditure commensurate with the nation's economic growth.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takemoto
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naganuma
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D057217:Economic Development; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000191:economics*