Relationship Between Quality of Care and Cost
Is there a relationship between cost and quality of care?, Health care cost is the cost incurred in acquiring health care services such as
medications therapies, and procedures. Quality in health means providing health care services to
patients when they need it, at an affordable, effective, safe, equitable, and effective manner. The relationship vary between small and moderate, holding all other factors constant. However, there is a popular school of thought that high cost of health care services predict higher quality care for patients. Other researchers still argue that if funds are spent on areas they are needed most, then care services provided would improve in
quality and efficiency.
There are significant relationship between cost and quality of care. The relationship
is higher under three factors; when the price is used instead of cost when process measures are
used instead of outcome measures, and when the focus is on health care services such as heart
attack, heart failure, and stroke instead of other clinical conditions.
Is there a relationship between cost and quality of care?
However, researchers like Kang & Hong (2017) argue against a connection. They found no significant link between cost and quality in hospitals providing myocardial infarction care.
The authors studied about 69 hospitals. They examined 6,599 patients hospitalized in those facilities. The focus was on acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Patients with AMI require immediate and specialized care.
Additionally, AMI is prevalent. It is the leading cause of death among the elderly.
Other researchers also believe cost and quality are unrelated. They argue that higher medical bills do not mean better care. Often, patients pay more due to the healthcare system, not superior services.
Furthermore, higher costs do not always result from quality improvements. Improvements like reduced medical errors and improved patient safety may not affect costs directly.
The relationship between cost and quality is influenced by many factors.