Opportunities to Increase Efficiency in Healthcare

Substantial economic resources are devoted to healthcare across Europe, but there is evidence that a large proportion of these resources are of limited benefit to patients and society. Around 10% of European Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is spent on healthcare and estimates suggest that as much as one-fifth of this amount (2% of GDP) is spent on interventions that make no meaningful contribution to health outcomes. In economic terms, these resources are used inefficiently. The objective of this report was to identify examples of efficient practice in healthcare and quantify their potential efficiency gains across the EU and UK.