Reducing Costs Through Appropriate Use of Speciality Services
25 March 2010Speciality services are considered to be a significant source of expense in the US healthcare system.
Overuse or misuse of speciality services will increase healthcare expenditure, and by identifying and reducing these differences from optimal care, 30% of healthcare costs, or approximately $700bn, can be saved without reducing quality.
In order to address this issue, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has developed a framework that includes six steps: opportunity search and engagement of physicians, patients and key stakeholders; defining a standard (consensus criteria); discernment; evaluation of discernment; additional interventions and execution (implement standards).
The key elements of the framework include identifying opportunities for reducing overuse, developing standards locally, determining the willingness and ability of physicians to apply it, and engaging physicians and stakeholders in the care system in process improvement to help achieve sustainable change.
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Reducing Costs Through Appropriate Use of Speciality Services
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