Healthcare is inextricably bound to productivity, efficiency, and economic development. Although many methods for analyzing productivity and efficiency have been extensively covered, relatively little focus has been placed on how those methods can be applied to health care in a coherent and comprehensive manner. The Cambridge Handbook of Healthcare outlines current foundations and states of the art on which future research can build. It brings together experts in this growing field to cover three key sources and aspects of human welfare – productivity, efficiency, and healthcare. Beginning with academic focused chapters, this book bridges and provides outreach to the practice and regulation of the health care industry and includes academic and regulatory perspectives, including overviews of major evidence from international empirical applications. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular topic and delivered by international experts on that topic.

‘Health and healthcare are among the most important subjects of economic analysis. In this collection, the authors have assembled and contributed to a vast trove of authoritative theory and evidence on performance analysis in healthcare, from the production (goal achievement) and cost (cost effectiveness) points of view. Health economics practitioners will find a wealth of useful results. More general analysts of productivity and efficiency will see a neatly focused application of contemporary methodology.’

William H. Greene - University of South Florida and New York University

‘This Handbook serves as a crucial guide for enhancing healthcare’s productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, catering to academics, practitioners, and policymakers. It seamlessly integrates theoretical concepts with real-world practices, presenting a thorough summary of global empirical studies and cutting-edge techniques such as Data Envelopment Analysis and Stochastic Frontier Analysis. The text offers both engaging introductions and comprehensive literature reviews, alongside advanced explorations of new methodologies by foremost experts in the field. Indispensable for those dedicated to improving global healthcare performance, this Handbook’s well-rounded perspective makes it a noteworthy contribution to the discipline.’

Peter Bogetoft - Copenhagen Business School (CBS)