Background: Assessments of vaccination programmes should account for several important factors, including efficacy, safety and costs of preventing and treating the disease. Because patients with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) are managed primarily in an inpatient setting, hospital costs...

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp.) is a leading cause of paediatric bacterial meningitis, pneumonia and acute otitis media, as is non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) for acute otitis media. In 2008, a 7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) was included in the New Zealand...

Background: Endophthalmitis is a severe condition that requires hospitalization with at least day care. Information on the incidence rate, costs and consequences of endophthalmitis is scarce. Objective: To estimate the number of patients with endophthalmitis hospitalized in France, as well as...

In this article we analyse how the costs of treating patients with HIV infection in the US have changed over time, with an emphasis on the relationship between inpatient hospitalization costs and the costs of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We examine how HIV treatment modes have...

Background: Policy makers are increasingly interested in developing performance indicators that measure hospital efficiency. These indicators may give the purchasers of health services an additional regulatory tool to contain health expenditure. Objective: Using panel data, this study compares...

The London Patient Choice Project (LPCP) was established to offer NHS patients more choice over where and when they receive treatment, and to reduce waiting times. The LPCP offered those patients waiting around 6 months for elective procedures a choice of treatment at an alternative NHS or...

This article examines (i) the background and debate over cost shifting; (ii) hospitals as business institutions that often shift the financial responsibility for their costs in the form of differential pricing; and (iii) how the cost-shifting debate affects and is affected by Medicare. The aim...

In many countries, patient choice is a routine part of the normal healthcare system. However, many choice initiatives in secondary care are part of policies aimed at reducing waiting times. This article provides evidence on the effectiveness of patient choice as a mechanism to reduce waiting...

Background:Background: Rasburicase is a recombinant urate-oxidase enzyme used to reduce high levels of plasma uric acid (PUA) resulting from tumour lysis syndrome (TLS). Rasburicase reduces PUA levels within 4 hours of administration, thereby minimizing the risk of serious complications from...