Macroeconomic Evaluation of Computerized Tomographic Scanning

Abstract

The major reason for conducting an economic evaluation of a medical technology is to support an economic decision. An economic decision is defined here as one involving the allocation of productive and, hence, valuable resources to a particular end. A physician’s decision to order (or not to order) a procedure or drug is an economic decision, as is a hospital’s decision to invest (or not to invest) in the capital equipment required for a procedure, a government’s decision to approve (or disapprove) the marketing of a drug or procedure, or a third-party payer’s to pay (or not to pay) for a drug or procedure. Economic evaluation provides evidence on the relative costs and benefits of alternative courses of action open to decision-makers. Though decisions involving the allocation of resources can be and often are made ignoring economic considerations, they remain economic decisions nonetheless.