Shopping around for hospital services: a comparison of the United States and Canada

Article Abstract:

Despite the introduction of managed care in the US, health care costs still tend to be higher and waiting times shorter than in Canada. Researchers asked 48 US and 18 Canadian hospitals to estimate their costs and waiting times for seven services: MRI of the head, a mammogram, an electrocardiogram, a prothrombin time measurement, one hemodialysis session, a colonoscopy and a total knee replacement. Average waiting times were substantially shorter in the US and average costs were significantly higher for six of the services.

Surveys, Medical care, Cost of, Health care costs, Hospital waiting lists

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Measuring health outcomes - putting gains into perspective

Article Abstract:

Measuring gains in life expectancy to evaluate different medical interventions can lead to several misunderstandings. Most people assume the gain would be tacked on at the end of life, but what actually happens is that survival curves are shifted to the right. Many gains in life expectancy are small and must be weighed against the cost of the intervention. In addition, quality of life is just as important to many people as a prolonged life.

Health aspects, Editorial, Analysis, Measurement, Medical care, Life expectancy, Outcome and process assessment (Health Care), Outcome and process assessment (Medical care)

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Mortality among patients admitted to hospitals on weekends as compared with weekdays

Article Abstract:

Some patients with serious medical conditions are more likely to die if they are admitted to a hospital on the weekend than if they are admitted during the week. This was the conclusion of a study of 3,789,917 hospital admissions in Ontario, Canada, between 1988 and 1997.

Human resource management, Health care industry, Patient outcomes, Mortality, Hospital patients

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