The 1999 reform of the Italian healthcare system has softened the effects of the 1992 shift to market mechanisms and competition within healthcare by promoting cooperation and partnerships among providers and Local Health Units (LHUs). In addition, it has facilitated the completion of...

Diabetes mellitus has considerable and increasing importance in England. The burden of illness is concentrated in ethnic minority groups and socioeconomically deprived areas. Evidence for effective clinical care has increased following the results of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study but current...

If the disease management industry succeeds in producing effective solutions to many of the problems besetting today's healthcare delivery systems (such as misalignment of financial and care incentives, poor customer service, failure to provide useful preventative care, and a dearth of empirical...

The health of the international workforce has been an increasing area of concern for the last two decades. Globalization of the world economy and rapid technological changes continue to change the nature of work and employment practices, exposing employees to new and serious health risks. These...

The National Service Framework for Older People (NSF), published recently by the Department of Health in England, represents a major initiative to improve services for this group of patients. It describes an ambitious 10-year plan to address ageism, person-centered care, hospital care,...

Today, privacy is a concern for many individuals. The United States has followed the path of other countries in strengthening the legislation to protect privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 was enacted to provide improved portability of health benefits...

US employers are facing an unprecedented opportunity to contribute toward positive, disruptive innovations in healthcare. The convergence of major trends will enable employers to exercise significant leverage in controlling healthcare costs and improving quality. US healthcare is ripe for...

In this article, we provide a practical and systematic framework to evaluate the cost effectiveness of health plans Research data indicate that cost effectiveness varies by clinical domain. Blood pressure control, use of aspirin, and influenza and pneumococcal immunizations are cost saving in...

Background and objective: In day-to-day practice, asthma treatment and self-management often fall short of the objectives defined by clinical practice guidelines. The objective of this study was to determine whether a population-based asthma disease management program, using broad-based...

Background: Success in treating hypertension is greater in clinical trials than in actual practice. To prospectively study real-world antihypertension treatment patterns, therefore, naturalistic studies are essential. Objective: The primary objective of the Caring for Hypertension on Initiation:...