Policy Choices And Practical Problems In Health Economics

Conservation of biological diversity is important for sustainable development, and decentralization is a key aspect of good governance. Whether decentralization promotes conservation and if so, under what conditions, is the topic of this book. This study draws insights from field experience and traces the complex interactions among various factors involved, such as degree and type of decentralization, community participation, institutional capacity, and economic incentives. Local and international experts present case studies from experiences in Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, and Zimbabwe. Subsequent chapters review 32 World Bank and Global Environment Facility projects and their impact on habitat conservation, describe a possible model of a decentralized country, and look at lessons learned from the overall study.

This book provides a robust set of health economic principles and methods to inform societal decisions in relation to research, reimbursement and regulation (pricing and monitoring of performance in practice). We provide a theoretical and practical framework that navigates to avoid common biases and suboptimal outcomes observed in recent and current practice of health economic analysis, as opposed to claiming to be comprehensive in covering all methods. Our aim is to facilitate efficient health system decision making processes in research, reimbursement and regulation, which promote constrained optimisation of community outcomes from a societal perspective given resource constraints, available technology and processes of technology assessment. Importantly, this includes identifying an efficient process to maximize the potential that arises from research and pricing in relation to existing technology under uncertainty, given current evidence and associated opportunity costs of investment. Principles and methods are identified and illustrated across health promotion, prevention and palliative care settings as well as treatment settings. Health policy implications are also highlighted.

Health economics has made major contributions to the development of health policy in many countries. This book describes those successes and looks forward to the major contributions that health economics can bring to bear on emerging policy issues in health and health care. With contributions from internationally recognized researchers, this book addresses generic policy issues confronting health systems across the developed world. The coverage progresses from micro, patient level issues to macro, whole system issues including: ·Determining cost-effective treatments ·Fair distribution of health care ·Regulatory issues such as performance measurement and incentives ·Revenue distribution ·Decentralization and internationalization of health systems Health Policy and Economics identifies the major contributions that health economics makes to important policy issues in health and health care. It is key reading for policy makers and health managers as well as students and academics with an interest in health policy and health services research. Contributors: Ron L. Akehurst, Karen E. Bloor, Martin Buxton, Karl P. Claxton, Richard Cookson, Diane A. Dawson, Paul Dolan, Mike Drummond, Brian Ferguson, Hugh Gravelle, Maria Goddard, Katharina Hauck, John Hutton, Andrew M. Jones, Rowena Jacobs, Paul Kind, Rosella Levaggi, Guillem López Casanovas, Alan K. Maynard, Nigel Rice, Anthony Scott, Rebecca Shaw, Trevor Sheldon, Andrew D. Street, Mark Sculpher, Matthew Sutton, Peter C. Smith, Adrian Towse, Aki Tsuchiya, Alan H. Williams.

"It would be difficult to overstate the standing of the authors. Many HERU alumni are among the most highly esteemed health economists in the world." —Steve Morgan, University of British Columbia This is a series of essays to mark the 25 anniversary of HERU. Existing and former HERU staff write about their special interests and work records. This book addresses many current policy issues which exist in the Scottish (and English) National Health System. HERU is one of the leading health economic institutes in the UK Contributors are all distinguished members of the health economics community Covers a wide range of issues that are relevant to the application of health economics now and into the future.

Series Editor: Michael Rigby This completely up-to-date resource equips readers with practical tools to understand and apply health economic methods. It introduces the key economic tools and the data available that can assist an economic decision and covers a range of areas from primary care and national data to global indicators of health. The information presented is applicable to all economic issues - at individual practice or nationwide policy level. Harnessing Information for Health Economics Analysis is a vital handbook for all clinicians, managers, and policy makers and shapers who make decisions about planning, commissioning and delivering healthcare. It will also be of great value to health economists, and postgraduate students in health economics and related disciplines.

Problems and choices -- Who shall live? -- The physician : the captain of the team -- The hospital : the house of hope -- Drugs : the key to modern medicine -- Paying for medical care.

Principles in Health Economics and Policy is a clear and concise introduction to health economics and its application to health policy. It introduces the subject of economics, explains the fundamental failures in the market for health care, and discusses the concepts of equity and fairness when applied to health and health care.Written for students and health professionals with no background in economics, the book takes a policy-oriented approach, emphasising the application of economic analysis to universal health policy issues. It explores the key questions facing health policy-makers across the globe right now, such as:How should society intervene in the determinants that affect health?How should health care be financed?How should health care providers be paid?How should alternative health care programmes be evaluated when setting priorities?With relevant exercises and suggested further reading lists at the end of each chapter, Principles in Health Economics and Policy is the ideal resource for both students and health professionals.

This book provides all the necessary information in a readablestyle that can be understood by anyone with even the most basicknowledge of mathematics Health Economics is ideal for allhealth professionals who are required to make policy decisions– including hospital managers, clinical directors andpartners in family practices. It is suited to health policy makersat national level as well as those in local trusts. The clear andconcise way in which the book is written also makes it a perfectintroductory text for students of health economics. Health Economics provides you with the tools to: Read and critique economic evaluations Understand the economic forces at work in specificenvironments Make optimum choices in terms of benefits and outcomes