Unit 544: Health Economics

1. Introduction to Health Economics

• Definition and scope of health economics
• Basic economic principles applied to healthcare
  • Scarcity and choice
  • Opportunity cost
• Resource allocation in healthcare systems
• Role of economics in healthcare decision-making

2. Demand and Supply in Healthcare

• Concept of demand in healthcare
  • Determinants of patient demand
  • Elasticity of demand in healthcare services
• Concept of supply in healthcare
  • Factors influencing healthcare provider supply
  • Supply constraints and capacity
• Market equilibrium in healthcare
  • Price mechanisms
  • Impact of market imperfections

3. Health Insurance and Healthcare Financing

• Overview of health insurance models
  • Private insurance
  • Public insurance
  • Social health insurance
• Role and importance of insurance in healthcare financing
• Payment mechanisms
  • Fee-for-service
  • Capitation
  • Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs)
• Impact of health insurance on healthcare utilization and outcomes

4. Economic Evaluation in Healthcare

• Purpose and importance of economic evaluation
• Types of economic analyses
  • Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA)
  • Cost-utility analysis (CUA)
  • Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)
• Steps in conducting economic evaluations
• Interpretation and application in healthcare decision-making

5. Healthcare Market Failures

• Definition and examples of market failures in healthcare
• Asymmetric information
  • Adverse selection
  • Moral hazard
• Externalities in healthcare
• Public goods and their characteristics
• Implications of market failures on efficiency and equity

6. Health Policy and Regulation

• Role of government in healthcare
• Health policy development processes
• Regulatory frameworks impacting healthcare markets
• Public health policies and healthcare reforms
• Evaluation of policy impacts on healthcare delivery and economics

7. Global Health Economics

• Economic disparities in health across countries
• Role of international organizations (WHO, World Bank, etc.) in health economics
• Challenges in achieving global health equity
• Financing global health initiatives

8. Health Economics and Technology

• Impact of medical technology advancements on healthcare costs
• Technology assessment and cost implications
• Effect on quality of care and access
• Balancing innovation with affordability

9. Behavioral Economics in Healthcare

• Principles of behavioral economics relevant to healthcare
• Patient behavior and decision-making biases
• Provider incentives and behavior
• Strategies to promote healthy behaviors
• Applications to improve healthcare outcomes