In applying health services research methodologies to the geriatric population, Dr. Goldstein focuses on development of methods to quantify the improvements in health-utility from interventions designed to improve functional status of the elderly. Treatments that improve functional status are highly valued by the elderly, even if they do not prolong life. Considering the huge burden of functional limitations, it is essential to develop better methods to assess preferences toward health states of functional limitation in order to evaluate therapies that are designed to prevent or arrest progression of functional status limitations. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) offers a framework for incorporating comprehensive measure of health effects, but in practice most analyses do not capture any health outcomes other than length of life or intermediate outcomes. Methods to measure the benefits other than simple prolongation of life, particularly the benefits to functional status, are needed so that such benefits can receive significant weight in decisions about health care, particularly for the elderly. Dr. Goldstein and her colleagues have developed multimedia software entitled FLAIR (Functional Limitations And Independence Rating) that can be used to describe health states of functional limitation and then elicit from respondents the standard gamble and willingness-to-pay utilities for each health state. Dr. Goldstein is also working with colleagues in the Department of Medicine to evaluate strategies for implementation of clinical practice guidelines.