Cost Containment and Efficiency in National Health Systems

Introduction And Summary (John Rapoport)- Highlights of each country's approach- How are Cost containment and economic efficiency related?- Strategies and their effects: a cross country analysis- Current Policy AgendaCanada (Raisa Deber)- Canada's Health Care System- Paying for Canadian Health Care- Delivering Health Care in Canada- Overall expenditure trends- Cost control strategies employed- Current situationStrategies To Improve Efficiency In The English National Health Service (Adam Oliver)- Introduction- Structural characteristics of the NHS- The efficiency initiatives- ConclusionStrategies For Cost Containment In Finnish Health Care: Decentralization And Price Regulation (Unto Hakkinen)- Introduction- Finnish health care system- Strategies for municipal health services- Cost containment in services covered by NHI- Lessons from FinlandGermany (Markus Worz and Reinhard Busse)- A review of the major structural and operational characteristics of German health system- Major cost containment and efficiency seeking strategies- Report on the current situationThe Netherlands: From Limiting Supply To Limiting Demand (Werner Brouwer and Frans Rutten)- Introduction- The Dutch health care system in transition- Cost containment through the years- Future challengesJapan (Akinoi Hisashige)- HealthcareExpenditure Trends in Japan- Healthcare System in Japan- Cost Containment Strategy in Japan- Recent trends and Future challengesNew Zealand (Toni Ashton)- Introduction- Overview of NZ system- Global budgets- The quasi-market reforms- Management of pharmaceutical expenditure- Priority setting- Management of waiting lists- Current agenda- ConclusionSweden (Bengt Jonsson)- Introduction- Paying for performance - DRG based payments to ospitals- Reference pricing and generic substitution- Health technology assessment- The current situation

EDITORSJohn RapoportProfessor of EconomicsMount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, Ma USArapoport@mtholyoke.eduPhilip JacobsInstitute of Health EconomicsEdmonton, AlbertaCanadapjacobs@ihe.caEgon JonssonInstitute of Health EconomicsEdmonton, AlbertaCanadaejonsson@ihe.ca