Hepatology in a changing health care landscape: A call for health services research.

Abstract

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act followed by the physician payment reform, there is an urgent need to better understand the complex relationships between structure (including incentives), processes, and outcomes of health care and, based on this understanding, identify interventions that can ensure delivery of high-value care to patients with liver disease. As hepatologists, how do we systematically address these issues and ensure that we provide high-value care to our patients? These factors combine in the burgeoning field of health services research. This article seeks to describe how health services research influences the practice of hepatology, the tools and technologies it utilizes, as well as how interested individuals can seek to acquire knowledge and methodological training in health services research. Finally, we summarize the current state of health services research in hepatology and liver transplantation. (Hepatology 2018).