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Changing Health-Related Behaviors 2: On Improving the Value of Health Spending

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Clinical Epidemiology

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2249))

Abstract

The quantity of health spending does not equate directly to the quality of healthcare. Social spending and nonmedical determinants of health impact on health outcomes. The value of health spending in the United States is limited by the high cost of goods and labor, and administrative costs, high use of low-level care, and lack of basic healthcare coverage in a substantial minority of the population. There are additional reasons for differences in the value of health spending as revealed by a comparison of Canada and Australia, where similar spending per capita results in better health system performance in Australia than in Canada. Within Canada, there are large differences between provinces in the value of health spending. Overutilization of health resources occurs when an intervention is not indicated, or of low value, or is provided at the wrong time. The Choosing Wisely Initiative is a solution for overutilization of low-value care. Recognition of the reality that effective treatments are often applied inconsistently and inappropriately has spurred the development of a science concerned with improvement of quality of care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Quality of Care NL, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Karen Dickson, Robert Wilson, Owen Parfrey & Patrick S. Parfrey

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  1. Karen Dickson
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  2. Robert Wilson
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  3. Owen Parfrey
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  4. Patrick S. Parfrey
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick S. Parfrey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Patrick S. Parfrey

  2. Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada

    Brendan J. Barrett

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Dickson, K., Wilson, R., Parfrey, O., Parfrey, P.S. (2021). Changing Health-Related Behaviors 2: On Improving the Value of Health Spending. In: Parfrey, P.S., Barrett, B.J. (eds) Clinical Epidemiology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2249. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1138-8_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1138-8_30

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1137-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1138-8

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