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Epidemiology and the Delivery of Health Care Services pp 1–19Cite as

An Epidemiologic Perspective for Health Care Management

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Abstract

The organization and delivery of health care services in this last decade of the 20th century have been heavily influenced by two themes. One found in a substantial body of literature is the proposition that care delivered from high-volume providers can favorably affect the health status of patients served (Luft et al., 1990). The other theme is associated with the growing importance of quality in health care. To achieve volume, health care organizations are forming into systems at a rapid pace. These systems can take on a variety of configurations, from loose affiliations among hospitals to systems that provide the full continuum of care, ranging from health promotion to hospice. Volume can provide economy-of-scale advantages in the delivery of services. Although it is desirable to achieve lower costs through volume, adequate volume is also necessary for a provider to gain a level of experience that enhances the quality of care. Quality is also linked to reducing health care costs because, in theory, the delivery of high-quality care avoids costs related to unnecessary procedures, unnecessary hospitalizations, and so forth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Health Systems Management and Preventive Medicine, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, 60612, USA

    Denise M. Oleske

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  1. Denise M. Oleske
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  1. Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Denise M. Oleske

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Oleske, D.M. (1995). An Epidemiologic Perspective for Health Care Management. In: Oleske, D.M. (eds) Epidemiology and the Delivery of Health Care Services. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1839-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1839-6_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5745-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1839-6

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