Health Economics (VVDG_025)
About Study Course
Objective
To master and practically apply the principles and methods of microeconomics in the context of the health system, to analyze the behavioral models of individual players (patients, medical institutions), the factors influencing them and to understand the macroeconomic significance of health systems.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of economics is desirable.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the study course, the student has acquired knowledge of:
• the nature and importance of the health economy as a science
• macroeconomic assessment of the health sector
• microeconomic methods in the analysis and planning of health care processes
• patterns of individual behavior of health system participants and factors influencing it
• restrictive activities of market factors in the field of health care
• health production functions, demand, supply and price formation in the health sector
• healthcare financing and payment systems
• principles, methods of economic evaluation of health technologies and their application
The student has acquired the following skills:
• To analyze the economic aspects of health systems: resource constraints, efficiency, productivity, etc.
• To analyze the factors forming the demand and supply in health care
• To evaluate aspects of health care service price formation
• To apply cost-benefit analysis in the planning and management of health systems
• To apply the discount method to the costs and benefits of health systems that are affected by the time factor
• To apply cost comparison and cost-effectiveness analysis in health technology assessment
• To calculate the cost-effectiveness of health technologies
The student has acquired the following competencies:
• To judge on the macroeconomic importance of the health sector
• To assess the role and functioning of market factors in the healthcare sector
• To assess the economic performance, costs and results of health systems
• To substantiate and evaluate the economic efficiency of health technologies and to judge the necessity of their deployment
Study course planning
| Study programme | Study semester | Program level | Study course category | Lecturers | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Engineering and Physics, MIF | 4 | Bachelor’s | Required | Alina Dūdele | |
| Medical Engineering and Physics, MIFen | 6 | Bachelor’s | Required | Alina Dūdele |
