Product Innovation and Price Measurement

Author(s):  
Paul Stoneman ◽  
Eleonora Bartoloni ◽  
Maurizio Baussola

This chapter addresses how innovation may affect price measurement—a key issue for the accuracy of measures of principal economic indicators and a long-discussed one. Two main changes related to product innovation are important in this context: new goods (which are often cheaper) are driving old goods out of the market; and new products often offer improved quality. The literature suggests that a failure to properly account for these has added 0.8 percentage points per year to the measured Consumer Price Index in the United States. Quality adjustment approaches in all OECD countries have converged towards general methodological guidelines that represent a common knowledge base. The hedonic methodology is applied in a significant number of countries and for specific categories of goods, in particular electronic products. The use of this approach is exemplified and the impact on price indexes evaluated.

Author(s):  
Paul Stoneman ◽  
Eleonora Bartoloni ◽  
Maurizio Baussola

The prime objective of this book is the use microeconomic analysis to guide and provide insight into the generation and adoption of new products. Taking an approach that uses minimal formal mathematics, the volume initially addresses questions of definitions, sources, and extent of product innovation, differentiating between goods and services; hard and soft innovations; horizontal and vertical innovations; original, new to market, and new to firm innovations. The sources of product innovations (e.g. R&D, design, and creativity) are explored empirically, and the extent of such innovations is then pursued using survey and other data. Three chapters are devoted to the theoretical analysis of the demand for and supply of new products and to the determination of firms’ decisions to undertake product innovation. Later chapters encompass empirical evidence on the determination of the extent of product innovation, the diffusion of such innovation, the impact of product innovation on firm performance, price measurement, and welfare, while the final chapter addresses policy issues.


Hand ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 155894472199080
Author(s):  
Danielle A Thornburg ◽  
Nikita Gupta ◽  
Nathan Chow ◽  
Jack Haglin ◽  
Shelley Noland

Background: Medicare reimbursement trends across multiple surgical subspecialties have been analyzed; however, little has been reported regarding the long-term trends in reimbursement of hand surgery procedures. The aim of this study is to analyze trends in Medicare reimbursement for commonly performed hand surgeries. Methods: Using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File, we determined the 20 hand surgery procedure codes most commonly billed to Medicare in 2016. Reimbursement rates were collected and analyzed for each code from The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool for years 2000 to 2019. We compared the change in reimbursement rate for each procedure to the rate of inflation in US dollars, using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the same time period. Results: The reimbursement rate for each procedure increased on average by 13.9% during the study period while the United States CPI increased significantly more by 46.7% ( P < .0001). When all reimbursement data were adjusted for inflation to 2019 dollars, the average reimbursement for all included procedures in this study decreased by 22.6% from 2000 to 2019. The average adjusted reimbursement rate for all procedures decreased by 21.92% from 2000 to 2009 and decreased by 0.86% on average from 2009 to 2019 ( P < .0001). Conclusion: When adjusted for inflation, Medicare reimbursement for hand surgery has steadily decreased over the past 20 years. It will be important to consider the implications of these trends when evaluating healthcare policies and the impact this has on access to hand surgery.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107755872092110
Author(s):  
Richard G. Frank ◽  
Andrew Hicks ◽  
Ernst R. Berndt

Generic drug prices have received a great deal of attention in the past few years. Many agencies have conducted investigations into the pricing patterns for generic drugs. Price spikes for several specific generic drugs have also been widely reported in the media. Today, 90% of all retail prescriptions sold in the United States are generic drugs. Thus, these prices affect affordability of prescription drugs. We construct two Laspeyres chained price indexes for generic prescription drugs. The first reflects direct out-of-pocket payments by consumers to pharmacies for dispensing generic prescription drugs. The second measures the total price received by the pharmacy (the direct out-of-pocket payment plus the price paid to the pharmacy by the insurer). The chained direct out-of-pocket consumer price index we construct shows a roughly 50% decline for generic prescription drugs between 2007 and 2016. The total consumer price index for generic prescription drugs fell by nearly 80%.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Neimeyer ◽  
Julie Cerel

Mounting scientific evidence documents that bereavement by suicide can have a powerful and sometimes devastating impact on survivors. Accordingly, the Survivors of Suicide Loss Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention in the United States has recently worked to formulate national guidelines to mitigate the harmful after-effects of suicide in social and family systems. The present article addresses one of four strategic directions addressed by the Task Force, namely the development of goals and objectives for surveillance, research and evaluation of the impact of suicide loss. Recommendations range from methodological guidelines for the conduct of future studies to specific content areas of research relevant to the design and implementation of public health, peer support and professional psychotherapeutic attention for communities, families and individuals affected by suicide loss.


Author(s):  
Paul Stoneman ◽  
Eleonora Bartoloni ◽  
Maurizio Baussola

This chapter introduces the book and discusses its main objective—the microeconomic analysis of product innovation—and its potential readership—third-year undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, private and public sector policy professionals—both in economics and in management and business. The chapter argues that this book will fill an important gap in the literature. It also provides an overview of subsequent chapters, summarizes their content, and describes the way they interact. In particular, it indicates that the material provided encompasses the definition of product innovation, the sources of new products, the measurement and extent of product innovation, analytical material on the demand for new products, their supply, and the incentives to product innovation, empirical material on the determination of the extent of product innovation, the diffusion or spread of product innovations, the impact of product innovation on firm performance, price measurement, and welfare and policy issues relating to product innovation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Karp ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Marguerite Orsi

Abstract. Introduction: Foods dense in micronutrients are generally more expensive than those with higher energy content. These cost-differentials may put low-income families at risk of diminished micronutrient intake. Objectives: We sought to determine differences in the cost for iron, folate, and choline in foods available for purchase in a low-income community when assessed for energy content and serving size. Methods: Sixty-nine foods listed in the menu plans provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for low-income families were considered, in 10 domains. The cost and micronutrient content for-energy and per-serving of these foods were determined for the three micronutrients. Exact Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons of energy costs; Spearman rho tests for comparisons of micronutrient content. Ninety families were interviewed in a pediatric clinic to assess the impact of food cost on food selection. Results: Significant differences between domains were shown for energy density with both cost-for-energy (p < 0.001) and cost-per-serving (p < 0.05) comparisons. All three micronutrient contents were significantly correlated with cost-for-energy (p < 0.01). Both iron and choline contents were significantly correlated with cost-per-serving (p < 0.05). Of the 90 families, 38 (42 %) worried about food costs; 40 (44 %) had chosen foods of high caloric density in response to that fear, and 29 of 40 families experiencing both worry and making such food selection. Conclusion: Adjustments to USDA meal plans using cost-for-energy analysis showed differentials for both energy and micronutrients. These differentials were reduced using cost-per-serving analysis, but were not eliminated. A substantial proportion of low-income families are vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.


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