This paper empirically investigates the distribution dynamics of resource allocation decisions across Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), in a continuing Prospective Payment System (PPS). The theoretical literature suggests a PPS could lead to moral hazard effects, where hospitals have an incentive...

The overall objective of the paper is to model and econometrically analyze the impact of access costs (travel time to hospital) and quality of health care on the utilization of elective health services in public hospitals. We argue that patients might face a trade-off between better perceived...

The International Obesity Taskforce calls obesity one of the most important medical and public health problems of our time. An estimated 1 billion people around the world are over weight, of whom around 300 million are clinically obese. Estimates suggest that obesity levels will continue to rise...

Much of the ill-health and disease burden facing Australians today and into the foreseeable future is preventable. An effective preventative health strategy thus offers the prospect of improving the health of the community. This is both of direct benefit and indirect benefit via a possible...

The measure of benefit in cost utility analysis (CUA) is the increase in utility which is attributable to a health service. This paper reviews the evidence that the severity of an illness – the health state before receipt of the health service – may be independently important for social (as...

MAU instruments seek to measure the ‘utility’ of health states in a way suitable for use in economic evaluation studies and, in particular, cost utility analysis (CUA). The Assessment of Quality of Life, Mark 2 (AQoL 2) project was undertaken specifically to increase the sensitivity of...

Objective To determine if obese patients have longer average length of stay once they are admitted to hospital, across a range of specialties. This contributes to measuring the impact of obesity on health care resource use. Data Sources/Study Setting Administrative hospital data are used for the...