Hospital Funding for New Drug Technologies

Mamdani M, Paterson M, Laupacis A, Handa K, Jacka R. June 2002

Large academic health sciences centres are typically viewed as innovators in health care delivery and are often the first to utilize cutting edge diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. With the advent of several new and expensive drugs, there is concern that hospitals will not be able to afford these drugs or that such medications will be provided at the expense of other important hospital services.

Commissioned by the Ontario Council of Teaching Hospitals, this report identifies options for how hospitals in particular and the health care system in general might optimize the funding and use of expensive new medicines.

Keywords: Drug therapy Health care costs