Health service costs while on the wait list

A. Alberta Centre for Health ServicesUtilizationResearch ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Alberta Centre for Health Services Utilization Research, which conducts studies of how health services are used and delivered to inform health policy development and management of health service delivery. [...] The cost of health services during the year prior to surgery and after surgery was then contrasted to the length of the waiting period. [...] The Alberta Centre for Health Services Utilization Research Page 2 Health Service Costs While on the Waitlist Outcomes Physician claims and emergency room claims during the year before the procedure, the year after the procedure and the difference between the two years. [...] In order to asses the association of wait with physician claims restricted to the actual wait period, we subtracted the waiting time physician claims from physician claims in a identical postoperative time period matched for each patient. [...] No attempt is made to balance the effectiveness of the specific intervention for one particular patient compared to providing another type of service to someone else 9. Focus on the target of wait time may divert attention from the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of the health service10.