COSTS AND BENEFITS OF OUTPATIENT THERAPY

In recent years, much of the care traditionally rendered in hospitals has been shifted to ambulatory settings. This change has been fueled a s much by changing patterns of reimbursement as by rapid developments in medicine and technology. The current climate of health-care reform suggests that this trend will continue for the near future. Unfortunat ely, there are few studies that systematically evaluate the cost effec tiveness or benefits of ambulatory care. Among the few such studies pu blished to date, the results are not overwhelmingly positive. While th e monetary costs of ambulatory care are generally far lower than inpat ient management, several studies suggest that family and household dis ruption are prominent features of outpatient strategies. Thus, the mea surement of the direct and indirect costs and benefits of ambulatory t reatment presents a significant challenge to researchers. Development of methodologies to support such studies must be among our highest pri orities.