Incentives created through contracts can be used as a means of decentralized control in healthcare systems to ensure more efficient healthcare. In this paper, we consider an insurer contracting with a consumer and a provider. We focus on the trade-off between ex ante moral hazard and insurance, and consider both consumer and provider incentives in the insurer's contracting problem in the presen...

Patient fears are an ever-present factor of patient care, and addressing those fears is a responsibility of the healthcare provider. One such fear may be of tumor cell dissemination secondary to surgical interventions. Preparing for such discussions will allow the healthcare provider to speak with authority on the topic of tumor dissemination secondary to breast biopsy or surgery, even in a sit...

Assessment of healthcare technology and economics can be used to assess the access to healthcare, its quality and efficacy as well as its cost and cost efficiency. This report addresses these issues for the provision of care for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. An international comparison of access to ESRD treatment modalities was made with reference to the healthcare provider structure...

Each year consumers make a variety of decisions relating to their healthcare. Some experts argue that stronger consumer engagement in decisions about where to obtain medical care is an important mechanism for improving efficiency in healthcare delivery and financing. Consumers' ability and motivation to become more active decision makers are affected by several factors, including financial ince...