However, the research also raises the key question of the appropriate balance between the cost of medical technology and improved health outcomes. We also must work to provide more appropriate information for consumers and providers so together they can make wise choices. This is the fundamental issue. However, high acquisition and low operating costs for PET scanners create strong incentives for hospitals to expand the use of PET technology to areas where it has less benefit for the patient. Price is not the only determining factor behind overall technology costs .
Volume also determines overall technology costs.
The incentives of the health care financing system play a critical role in how new technology affects costs . In the absence of clinical guidelines, the reimbursement structure influences how a physician makes use of new technology. For example, the per-procedure basis for reimbursing doctors for implanting coronary stents encouraged some doctors to implant multiple stents, despite serious clinical drawbacks. However, Medicare s prospective payment reimbursement system encourages cardiologists to moderate this practice, and aggressive price competition among stent manufacturers has helped hospitals reduce costs for stents. The challenges for the future, according to the authors, are to better understand when a technology adds value, and to make better use of economic incentives to encourage more appropriate use of technology.