Engineering perspectives on healthcare delivery: Can we afford technological innovation in healthcare?

摘要

This article considers the national challenge of controlling healthcare costs. It is argued that this system-level challenge is better addressed with an engineering approach rather than from the perspective of medical science that, quite rightly, is tailored to address clinical practice. The engineering approach is outlined and three models are proposed for controlling the costs of healthcare so that the growth of these costs tracks the growth of gross domestic product. These models provide insights into the magnitude of efficiency gains needed to accomplish this goal. Possible ways to achieve these gains are discussed.