Health Services Research and Government's Spending on Healthcare Programs: A Welcome Misalignment?

Excluding capital projects, spending on hospitals, physicians and drugs makes up more than two thirds of provincial and territorial governments' healthcare spending (CIHI 2019). One expects that health services and policy research would be aligned with where the money flows and yet, there is a misalignment. For example, research as published by Healthcare Policy, is not so neatly aligned with provincial and territorial governments' healthcare spending patterns. In this issue, for instance, there are only two such articles - one related to medication adherence and cost, and another related to payment policy associated with a hospital's alternative level of care utilization. The previous issue of Healthcare Policy was similarly focused, with only two articles the study settings of which were primary care.