Biomedical subjects

N Doherty

Publications and source records attributed to N Doherty.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1977

Cost-effectiveness analysis and alternative health care programs for the elderly.

A generalized cost-effectiveness technique for comparing alternative health care programs is described, and an example is given of its use in evaluating programs for care of the elderly. The analytical method requires setting criteria and standards for each outcome and cost dimension and assessing the relationship between these standards and patient status. The relative effectiveness and costs of each setting are examined in a simple tabular display that allows comparison of each program's attainments on each criterion so that alternatives may be ranked according to the extent to which they meet standards and incur costs.

Aged↗

PubMed1976

Costs of publicly financed dental care for children in three different types of practice settings.

This analysis of the Chattanooga Program has provided preliminary findings on the relative cost of providing dental care through three different modes of care delivery: private practice, public fixed clinics, and public modile clinics. Significant differences in costs were found. It is reasonable to conclude, tentatively, that public services were being used more efficiently than private services in the delivery of dental care involved in this program. The results contest the findings of previous studies which indicated that mobile clinics were relatively inefficient. This study, however, based on a limited time period and refers to a specific program. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to generalize too hastily from the results. At this time, further research is being conducted to extend the period of analysis, and to deal explicitly with differences in patient characteristics, service mixes, and quality, to explain the economic reasons for the apparent differences in efficiency by delivery mode, and to consider the implications of the findings for dental policy.

Child↗

PubMed1975

An economic perspective on dental practice: the economics of increasing practice size.

Group dental practice is a form of organization which can show substantial professional and public benefits. Part of the support for group practice is derived from an extrapolation of the theory of economies of scale. Applied to dentistry, the theory holds that as practices grow they will be able to use their resources more efficiently than do smaller practices, and lower, thereby, the average costs of producing dental services.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed1975

Costs of providing dental services for children in public and private practices.

This study compares the costs of providing children's dental services in three practice settings: private practices, public mobile clinics, and public fixed clinics. Some 15,000 children were provided comprehensive dental care over a three-year period. Results indicate that costs per visit and per child were lowest in mobile clinics and highest in private practices. The differential was partially explained by differences in productivity but mostly by the fact that the price of services in public practices represented costs of production, whereas in private practices they represented market values.

Appalachian Region↗

PubMed1975