Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T13:17:53.861Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Decision Making on the Adoption of Advanced Medical Technology in Taiwan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Chung-Fu Lan
Affiliation:
National Yang-ming Medical College

Abstract

This paper discusses both the current interest in and approaches to the employment of advanced medical technology in Taiwan. It describes the formation of the national policy, including funding, reimbursement, and regulatory processes, on adopting innovative and expensive medical technologies. Using the case of extracorporeal Shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), the key players who affect organizational decision making on the adoption and diffusion of medical technology have also been analyzed. Finally, it examines some of the salient features of medical technology adoption and assessment in Taiwan, and in other countries which depend heavily upon imported advanced medical technology. It is hoped that an understanding of Taiwan's attempts to use innovative medical technology wisely while incorporating the practice of technology assessment and appropriate policies, will assist other countries with similar conditions to gain maximal benefit from technological advancement.

Type
Special Section: The Organization and Use of Technology in the Hospital Part I: Social, Economic, and Political Issues
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Banta, H.Medical technology and developing countries: The case of Brazil. International Journal of Health Services, 1986, 16, 363373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Chaussy, C., & Schmiedt, E.Extracorporeal Shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) for kidney stones: An alternative to surgery? Urologie Radiology, 1984, 6, 8087.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Chen, M., Chang, L., Lee, Y., Lin, A., Chen, K., Lin, S., Huang, J., & Yin, J.The experience of ESWL for upper urinary tract stones in Taiwan. Division of Urology, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 1986.Google Scholar
4Department of Health (R.O.C.). Health and medicine in Taiwan area, the Republic of China. Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 1985.Google Scholar
5Department of Health (R.O.C.). Proceedings of the International Conference on Quality Assurance in Medicine. Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 10 26–28, 1982.Google Scholar
6Fineberg, H.Technology assessment: Motivation, capability, and future directions. Medical Care, 1985, 23, 663671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Finlayson, B., & Thomas, W. C. Jr, Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy. Annals of Internal Medicine, 1984, 101, 387389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Hillman, A., & Schwartz, J.The adoption and diffusion of CT and MRI in the United States: A comparative analysis. Medical Care, 1985, 23, 12831294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Assessing medical technologies. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1985.Google Scholar
10Lan, C.Development of health insurance and its coordination with health care system and health insurance: The case in the Republic of China. Annual Report of Social Insurance, 1982, 7, 90174.Google Scholar
11Lan, C.A proposal for regionalization of medico-health services in Taiwan. Taipei: The Commission on Research, Development and Evaluation, The Executive Yuan, R.O.C., 1984.Google Scholar
12Perry, S., & Chu, F. Selecting medical technologies in developing countries in a time of recurrent economic crisis. Presented at the Second Takemi Symposium on International Health, Boston, U.S.A., May 20–22, 1986.Google Scholar
13U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. The feasibility of economic evaluation of diagnostic procedures: The case of CT scanning. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980.Google Scholar
14U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Effects of federal policies on extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986.Google Scholar