Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T05:04:40.920Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Medical and Surgical Supply Costs: Case Study of a Costly Low-Cost Technology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Mae Thamer ,
Kevin J. Fitzpatrick  and
Seymour Perry
Mae Thamer
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute
Kevin J. Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute
Seymour Perry
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute and WHO Collaborating Center for Health Technology Assessment
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

There is a paucity of research regarding the contribution of “low-cost” technologies to the escalation of medical costs in the United States. We examined total charges for medical and surgical supplies (MSS) among all hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries in 1994; a total of US $16.8 billion was spent on MSS, or $1,397 per hospitalization. For selected surgical procedures, both the proportion of total hospital charges attributed to MSS and the mean charge per hospitalization were considerably higher. Concerns regarding excessive payments for MSS and the lack of accountability by the Medicare program are discussed. Itemization of MSS supplies may serve to eliminate wasteful use and lead to decreased costs.

Type
Special Section: The Use And Abuse Of Low-Cost Technologies
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , Fall 1997 , pp. 526 - 536
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Fineberg, H. V. Clinical chemistries: The high cost of low-cost diagnostic tests. In Altmann, S. & Blendon, R. (eds.), Medical technology: the culprit behind health care cost? DHEW Pub. No. 79–3216. Hyattsville, MD: NCHSR, 1979, 144–65.Google Scholar
2.Finkler, S. A.The distinction between costs and charges. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1982, 96, 102–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Health Care Financing Review. Revenue center tables for fiscal years 1988–1994. Person communication from Diwevedi A, 02 3, 1995.Google Scholar
4.Medicare: Excessive payments for medical supplies continue despite improvements. General Accounting Office (GAO)/HEHS-95–171, 08 8, 1995.Google Scholar
5.Medicare Intermediary Manual. INT3 3626. Hospital Billing for Inpatient Services. CD ROM.Google Scholar
6.Medicare spending: Modern management strategies needed to curb billions in unnecessary payments. General Accounting Office (GAO)/HEHS-95–210, 09. 19. 1995.Google Scholar
7.Moloney, T. W., & Rogers, D. E.Medical technology: A different view of the contentious debate over costs. New England Journal of Medicine, 1979, 301, 1413–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Salkever, D. S., & Bice, T. W.Hospital certificate-of-need controls: Impact on investment, costs and use. Washington DC: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1979.Google Scholar
9.Scitovsky, A. A., & McCall, N.Changes in the cost of treatment of selected illnesses 1951–1964–1971. DHEW Pub. No. 77–3161. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976.Google Scholar
10.Showstack, J. A., Stone, M. H., & Shroeder, S. A.The role of changing clinical practices in the rising costs of hospital care. New England Journal of Medicine, 1985, 313, 1201–07.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Tape, T. G., & Mushlin, A. I.The utility of routine chest radiographs. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1986, 104, 663–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed