New Technology and Health Care Costs - The Case of Robot-Assisted Surgery
MedSun: Newsletter #54, November 2010

New England Journal of Medicine

Technological innovation in health care is an important driver of cost growth. Doctors and patients often embrace new modes of treatment before their merits and weaknesses are fully understood. These technologies can lead to increases in costs, either because they are simply more expensive than previous treatments or because their introduction leads to an expansion in the types and numbers of patients treated. These patterns as they apply to the case of robot-assisted surgery are examined.

Additional Information:

New England Journal of Medicine. New Technology and Health Care Costs — The Case of Robot-Assisted Surgery. August 19, 2010.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMp1006602