Fee-for-service, the predominant method of paying for health care in the United States, is an unsustainable payment approach that rewards volume, resulting in an increase in the number of health care services that are provided, regardless of the outcome of the service. Many believe this form of payment has contributed greatly to the ever-increasing costs of health care. Payment reform, which en...

The objective of this research was to examine whether users of mental health or substance abuse (MH/SA) services incurred greater costs for non-MH/SA services than nonusers of MH/SA services. Two years of health care utilization data were collected on 443 at-risk drinkers from six southern U.S. states. We then examined predictors of using MH/SA services and costs associated with non-MH/SA servi...

THECENTERSFORMEDICARE&MEDICAIDSERVICES(CMS) is the largest US payer of fee-for-service health care claims.However,healthcareprovidershavehad,atbest, limitedaccess toMedicare fee-for-servicedatabecause CMS has not made the information broadly accessible. Access to Medicare fee-for-service data could help increase efficiency in health care delivery, reduce costs, and improve the quality ofcare.Re...

The aim of the present study was to determine the economic impact in the UK of wheezing disorders in preschool children. Health, societal and family-borne costs were calculated for a sample of 94 preschool children who attended hospital with a primary diagnosis of wheeze or asthma during 1998/1999. Sample costs were calculated using data from a structured interview schedule and from symptom dia...

background: major thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disease with complications, mortality and serious pathology. today, the life expectancy of patients with major thalassemia has increased along with therapeutic advances. therefore, they need lifelong care, and caring for them would incur many costs. being aware of the patients’ costs can be effective for controlling and managing the costs ...

background: implementing community-based psychiatric services is one of the priorities of the who/emro mental health programs. this study presents an aftercare service, as a community based-service, for patients with severe mental illness (smis).   methods : in this randomized controlled clinical trial design, 176 patients, who attended selective hospitals with smi, were allocated into three gr...