Health Care Economics and Financing

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:2.00

Study Course Accepted:04.04.2024 10:17:03

Study Course Information
Course Code:		SZF_113		LQF level:		Level 7
Credit Points:		3.33		ECTS:		5.00
Branch of Science:		Economics; Other economic and management sub-sectors		Target Audience:		Management Science; Public Health; Health Management; Business Management
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Alina Dūdele
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:		Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		10	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		20
Classes (count)		10	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		20
Total Contact Hours								40
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Basic knowledge of economics, analytical and graph interpretation skills, knowledge of English.
Objective:
Learn the principles of health economics and methods for their application in health policy formation and health care organization, as well as gain knowledge about the sources, types and structure of health care financing systems.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Basic principles of health economics			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
2	The macroeconomic importance of health care			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
3	Formation of supply and demand in health care			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
4	Characteristics and specifics of the healthcare services market			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
5	Costs, prices and tariffs			Lectures		2.00	auditorium
				Classes		2.00	auditorium
6	The concept of efficiency in health care			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
7	Health care financing and insurance systems			Lectures		2.00	auditorium
				Classes		2.00	auditorium
8	Types and methods of purchasing healthcare services			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
				Classes		1.00	auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
- Literature search, analysis and study - Data search, collection and analysis - Case analysis - Solving tasks and presenting results and results of independent work. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal.
Assessment Criteria:
• Activity during interactive lectures and classes • Individual and group work case study analysis and presentation • Written exam Cumulative assessment: 50% – evaluation of the written exam and 50% – work in lectures and classes and other tasks.
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		• To understand the importance and application of health economics in health policy formation and organization • Understand the macroeconomic importance of health care • To learn the application of health economics methods in the analysis and planning of health care processes • To understand the limiting action of market factors in the field of health care and the formation of the market for health care services • Understand the formation of demand, supply and prices in the healthcare sector • Understand the formation of costs, prices and tariffs for health care services • Learn the principles and types of health care financing and insurance • To understand the economic aspects of creating payment systems for health care services.
Skills:		• Describe the economic aspects of health systems: resource limitations, efficiency, productivity, etc. • Apply margin analysis in the planning of health care services. • Describe the formation of the health care services market, limited competition and those influencing it factors • Analyze the supply demand-forming factors in health care. • Analyze and calculate the costs of healthcare services • Describe the principles of health care financing and insurance • Describe the principles and methods of procuring healthcare services.
Competencies:		• Create a health policy based on the basic principles of health economics • Introduce the principles of health care in the organization of health care • Evaluate the economic parameters and efficiency of health systems • Plan and propose solutions for health care financing • Choose and apply methods of purchasing healthcare services.
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Guinness L., Wiseman V. (2011). Introduction to Health Economics. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill/Open University Press
2	Drummond M.et al. (2015). Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes . 4th ed. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press
3	Papanicolas I., Rajan D., Karanikolos M., et al. (2022). Health system performance assessment: A framework for policy analysis, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
4	Cashin C., et al. (2014). Paying for performance in health care. Implications for health system performance and accountability, Open University Press, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies Series
Additional Reading
1	Williams, et al. (2019). Sustainable health financing with an ageing population: will population ageing lead to uncontrolled health expenditure growth? World Health Organization (the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies)
2	Behmane, Dūdele (2022). Vērtībās balstītas veselības aprūpes koncepcija
3	Behmane, Dūdele, et al. (2019). Latvia: health system review 2019. Health Systems in Transition, Vol. 21 No. 4
4	WHO: Health financing
Other Information Sources
1	The European Journal of Health Economics
2	OECD: Health expenditure