A wave of new health care innovation and growing demand for health care, coupled with uncertain productivity improvements, could severely challenge efforts to control future health care costs. A committee of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine organized a conference to examine key health care trends and their impact on medical innovation. The conference addressed the following question: In an environment of renewed concern about rising health care costs, where can public policy stimulate or remove disincentives to the development, adoption and diffusion of high-value innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, and devices?

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
2. The Characteristics of Medical Innovation
3. The Costs and Benefits of Medical Innovation
4. Cost-Effectiveness Studies: A Key to Innovation Development
5. Barriers to Medical Innovation
Appendix A: Conference Agenda
Appendix B: Conference Participant List
Appendix C: Keynote Speech: Encouraging High-Value Medical Innovation, Mark McClellan, Council of Economic Advisers
Appendix D: Keynote Speech: Bridging the Quality Chasm, David Lawrence, Kaiser Permanente