The objective of this study was to examine the change in efficiency of health care systems of 34 OECD countries between 2000 and 2012, a period marked by significant health reform in most OECD countries. This paper uses a novel Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DNDEA) model to analyze the efficiency of the public health system and the medical care system of these OECD countries independently along with assessing the efficiency of their overall health system. This helps understand the relative priorities for improving the overall health system. The data for this study was obtained from the OECD Health Facts database. The study findings suggest that countries which improved their public health system were more likely to show overall improvement in efficiency.

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HighlightsOne in four women was aware that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for breast cancer.Current drinkers were more likely to believe that alcohol was not a risk factor for breast cancer.Nearly 9 in 10 women were aware that positive family history is a risk factor for breast cancer.Awareness of the risk of positive family history varied by socioeconomic characteristics.

Introduction: This systematic review examines healthcare costs associated with mental health conditions among cancer survivors in the United States. Areas covered: Ten published studies were identified. Studies varied substantially in terms of population, mental health conditions examined, data collection methods, and type of cost reported. Cancer survivors with mental health conditions incurred significantly higher total medical costs and costs of most service types compared to cancer survivors without a mental health condition. Additionally, the total healthcare expenditure related to mental health was higher among cancer survivors compared with people without history of cancer. Expert commentary: Mental health conditions are associated with increased healthcare costs among cancer survivors. Future examination of other components of economic burden, including patient out-of-pocket costs, nonmedical costs, such as transportation, childcare, and productivity losses for patients and their caregivers, will be important. Additionally, evaluation of economic burden by cancer site, stage at diagnosis, duration of survivorship, and treatment(s) will increase understanding of the overall impact of mental health conditions on cancer survivors and on the healthcare system.