NEW TECHNOLOGIES MAY RESHAPE HEALTH CARE

Implementing New Regulation Promotes Health but May Increase Inequality

UK budgetary systems and new health-care technologies.

OBJECTIVES This article outlines the budgetary setting within the UK health-care system. METHODS It is argued that while prospective budgets can give rise to efficient resource allocation outcomes, this relies on the budget being set at an appropriate level and the accompanying incentive structures being efficient. The organizational structures and the interrelationships are critical. The rec...

Stem cells may reshape the prospect of Parkinson's disease therapy.

The concept of cell replacement to compensate for cell loss and restore functionality has entered several disease entities including neurodegenerative disorders. Recent clinical studies have shown that transplantation of fetal dopaminergic (DA) cells into the brain of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients can reduce disease-associated motor deficits. However, the use of fetal tissue is associated w...

Stepped care and mental health technologies

Stepped care is increasingly seen as an appropriate model for efficient and cost-effective provision of needs-based mental healthcare services, and is now recommended by bodies such as the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. In this paper we examine how the stepped care model can provide a useful framework for thinking about new mental health technologies. Consideration of each level an...

Health care and access to patented technologies.

The past 25 years have witnessed a growing interaction between healthcare and intellectual property rights. This growth has been due to both new genetic technologies and the expanding scope of intellectual property protection. The interaction does not come without costs, however, and intellectual property rights are increasingly pointed to as a culprit in access to health care. Disputes over My...