Medical Technology in an Era of Limits

Award Year: 1993	Investigator: Annetine Gelijns	Budget: $191,373	Categories: Cost Containment, Medical Technology
Abstract: Dr. Gelijns provides insight into the forces that drive the rate and direction of technological change in medicine. She also examines which policy mechanisms have the most potential to encourage continued medical innovation and contain health care costs. The study focuses on: the basic mechanisms underlying medical research and development (R&D) and diffusion; conditions governing the supply and demand for new technologies; and the examination of supply-side considerations to gain a better understanding of the role played by medical technology in contributing to rising health care costs. Using cross-national comparisons, this project considers several of the most important areas of innovation in medicine. It focuses on the analysis of specific clinical conditions and the contexts from which technologies emerge. Alternative technological solutions, underlying patterns of medical specialization, and competition among medical specialists are also addressed.