BMJ  2005;331 (17 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7530.0-d

When markets reform health care

Using market mechanisms to shape the healthcare system has some advantages over top-down management, but there are also costs, unintended and perverse consequences, and potential for damaging some of the most admirable qualities of the system, argues Edwards on p 1464. The English healthcare market will be different from conventional markets, so it is difficult to predict how the healthcare system will behave when it is market driven. Rather than leading to an increase in quality, competition and market incentives could lead to the fragmentation of care, which could greatly affect patients with chronic diseases, who need continuity and integration of care.

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Using markets to reform health care

Nigel Edwards
BMJ 2005 331: 1464-1466. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]