Rising healthcare costs yield benefit
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Use of diagnostic cardiac catheterization and angioplasty increased significantly between 1987-2000, replacing less costly and less effective heart disease treatments, an Aug. 25 Health Affairs study by Kenneth Thorpe, Emory University, et al., finds. Chronic heart conditions accounted for an estimated 8% of the increase in total healthcare spending, ahead of pulmonary conditions, mental disorders, cancer and hypertension. All together, the five conditions accounted for one-third of the increase...