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. 1986 Dec;21(5):681–711.

Government health policy and the diffusion of new medical devices.

B J Hillman
PMCID: PMC1068982  PMID: 3818311

Abstract

The combination of absent financial incentives, aspects of physicians' clinical training, and the uncertainty surrounding the appropriate application of expensive new medical devices have been the most significant factors in promoting their wasteful diffusion and use. This presentation summarizes the forces that have resulted in regulatory and reimbursement initiatives to make more efficient the acquisition and utilization of new medical devices. The case histories of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serve as a paradigm demonstrating why such initiatives have thus far proved ineffectual. More effective would be to abandon distinctions between inpatient and outpatient reimbursement for using new medical devices and to improve the relationship between reimbursement and technology assessment.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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