Link Between Spending, Care Quality Unclear, Review Finds

The link between higher spending and better health care quality still is unclear, according to a review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Of the 61 studies reviewed by RAND Corporation, 21 found that higher spending correlated with better outcomes, 18 showed a link between higher spending and worse outcomes and 22 indicated no difference or an unclear outcome based on spending.

• "Link Between Health Care Spending, Quality Unclear" (Pittman, Reuters, 1/2).