Market driven healthcare is massively divisive. Opponents argue that a competition approach to medical treatment negatively impacts on quality, while advocates point to increased efficiencies. This book casts a critical eye over both positions to show that the concerns over quality are in fact real. Taking a two part approach, it unveils the fault lines along which healthcare provision and the pursuit of quality would in certain cases clash. It then shows how competition authorities can only effectively assess competition concerns when they ask the fundamental question of how the concept of healthcare quality should be defined and factored into their decisions. Drawing on UK, US and EU examples, it explores antitrust and merger cases in hospital, medical and health insurance markets to give an accurate depiction of the reality and challenges of regulating competition in healthcare provision.

"Market driven healthcare is massively divisive. Opponents argue that a competition approach to medical treatment negatively impacts on quality, while advocates point to increased efficiencies. This book casts a critical eye over both positions to show that the concerns over quality are in fact real. Taking a two part approach, it unveils the fault lines along which healthcare provision and the pursuit of quality would in certain cases clash. It then shows how competition authorities can only effectively assess competition concerns when they ask the fundamental question of how the concept of healthcare quality should be defined and factored into their decisions. Drawing on UK, US and EU examples, it explores antitrust and merger cases in hospital, medical and health insurance markets to give an accurate depiction of the reality and challenges of regulating competition in healthcare provision."--

Applies insights from the past literature on product and service quality to the healthcare industry, and synthesizes discussions concerning the quality of healthcare in various provider settings, based on the proposition that resources for it are limited. Looks at generic notions of product and quality, broad issues and empirical evidence in measuring healthcare quality, the individual provider, relationships between cost and quality, the legal environment, and other dimensions. Distributed in the US by Ashgate. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

The key focus of this edited text is on the legal and professional conflicts and issues that can arise from regulating health care quality. Doctors and nurses all increasingly face a number of dilemmas with regulating health quality issues such as increasing levels of complaints and litigation, scarcity of resources, under-staffing, professional discipline, clinical governance, clinical risk management etc. This book spells out and discusses these issues, taking an academic approach, though this will be tempered with a practical focus on issues. Discusses ethical approaches to regulating health care quality Examines health care rights in the UK Looks at complaints procedures in the new NHS Presents alternatives to the present clinical negligence system Compares health care regulation in the US and UK