THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A SPECIAL CARE UNIT TO CARE FOR THE CHRONICALLY CRITICALLY ILL

To assess the relative value of healthcare programs, technologic innov ations, and clinical decisions, policymakers are searching for ways to evaluate cost-effectiveness. What constitutes cost-effectiveness and how should it be measured? The authors discuss ways in which the cost- effectiveness of clinical programs can be measured and describes vario us methods of assessing both costs and effectiveness. Comparison of th e cost-effectiveness of a nurse managed special care unit with that of traditional intensive care units illustrates some of these methods.