Supporting children with serious health care needs - Analyzing the costs and benefits

Effective and efficient service delivery to children who rely on medical te chnology or ongoing medical care will become increasingly critical as techn ology and medical know-how grow more sophisticated. Presently, technology's development and application threaten to outpace systems of service deliver y. This article explores the present state of affairs by considering the ch allenges involved in planning and evaluating programs for children with spe cial health care needs and their families. A cost-benefit model is suggeste d as a meaningful framework for considering challenges related to providing service in this arena and evaluating its effectiveness.