International comparison of health care systems using resource profiles
01 Jan 2000-Bulletin of The World Health Organization (World Health Organization)-Vol. 78, Iss: 6, pp 770-778
TL;DR: A simple framework for comparing data underlying health care systems is presented, which distinguishes measures of real resources, for example human resources, medicines and medical equipment, from measures of financial resources such as expenditures.
Abstract: The most frequently used bases for comparing international health care resources are health care expenditures, measured either as a fraction of gross domestic product (GDP) or per capita. There are several possible reasons for this, including the widespread availability of historic expenditure figures; the attractiveness of collapsing resource data into a common unit of measurement; and the present focus among OECD member countries and other governments on containing health care costs. Despite important criticisms of this method, relatively few alternatives have been used in practice. A simple framework for comparing data underlying health care systems is presented in this article. It distinguishes measures of real resources, for example human resources, medicines and medical equipment, from measures of financial resources such as expenditures. Measures of real resources are further subdivided according to whether their factor prices are determined primarily in national or global markets. The approach is illustrated using a simple analysis of health care resource profiles for Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Comparisons based on measures of both real resources and expenditures can be more useful than conventional comparisons of expenditures alone and can lead to important insights for the future management of health care systems.
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01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this background paper do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this background paper do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.
28 citations
Cites background from "International comparison of health ..."
...How can investments for the health workforce be monitored? No comprehensive international inventory of data on HRH expenditure exists; only a few cross-national studies are available [4, 5]....
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TL;DR: As they seek to attain universal health coverage (UHC), countries will need to devote an increasing proportion of their GDPs to health and health worker remuneration, but the fraction of total health expenditure devoted to paying health workers seems to be declining.
Abstract: Objective To present the available data on the money spent by Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) on remunerating health workers in the public and private sectors. Methods Data on government and total expenditure on health worker remuneration were obtained through a review of official documents in WHO's Global Health Expenditure Database and directly from country officials and country official web sites. Such data are presented in this paper, by World Bank country income groups, in millions of national currency units per calendar year for salaried and non-salaried health workers. They are presented as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), total health expenditure and general government health expenditure. The average yearly change in remuneration (i.e. compound annual growth rate) between 2000 and 2012 as a function of these parameters was also assessed. Findings On average, payments to health workers of all types accounted for more than one third of total health expenditure across countries. Such payments have grown faster than countries' GDPs but less rapidly than total health expenditure and general government health expenditure. Remuneration of health workers, on the other hand, has grown faster than that of other types of workers. Conclusion As they seek to attain universal health coverage (UHC), countries will need to devote an increasing proportion of their GDPs to health and health worker remuneration. However, the fraction of total health expenditure devoted to paying health workers seems to be declining, partly because the pursuit of UHC calls for strengthening the health system as a whole.
26 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the significance of various factors contributing to life expectancy and infant mortality for the 1990-2002 period in twenty five OECD nations, and evaluate the impact of economic, institutional, and social factors in determining the dependent variables.
Abstract: The health care delivery system of twenty five OECD nations is analyzed in this paper. This study seeks to assess the significance of various factors contributing to life expectancy and infant mortality for the 1990-2002 period. A fixed-effects panel data model was used to examine the factors influencing life expectancy and infant mortality. More specifically the impact of economic, institutional, and social factors in determining the dependent variables are measured and evaluated.
25 citations
24 Jul 2002
TL;DR: This work extends earlier research, which was supported by a grant from Sciences Po de Paris, and is grateful for support for this research from Pfizer, Merck, AztraZeneca, and Bristol Meyers-Squibb.
Abstract: Draft-Confidential The Productivity of Health Care and Pharmaceuticals: Quality of Life, Cause of Death and the Role of Obesity* July 24, 2002 Richard D. Miller, Jr. Center for Naval Analyses and H.E. Frech, III Economics Department University of California, Santa Barbara *Earlier versions were presented in seminars at Curtin University in Perth Australia, June 21, 2001 and at the International Health Economics Association meetings in York, England, July 24, 2001. Thanks are due to the participants of those seminars, especially Harry Bloch, Gavin Mooney, Jeff Petchy, and Sandra Hopkins. This work extends our earlier research, which was supported by a grant from Sciences Po de Paris. We are grateful for support for this research from Pfizer, Merck, AztraZeneca, and Bristol Meyers-Squibb.
21 citations
01 Jun 2012
TL;DR: This work conceptualizes Health Systems Research as a Core Function of Health Systems 27 and outlines its aims and objectives, as well as discusses the challenges and rewards of doing so.
Abstract: 5 1. Conceptualizing Health Systems 6 2. The Promise of Health Systems Research 10 3. Conceptualizing Health Systems Research 12 3.1 Characteristics of Health Systems Research 12 3.2 Boundaries of Health Systems Research 14 3.3 Defining Health Systems Research 19 3.4 Study Designs and Methods Used in Health Systems Research 19 4. Conceptual Barriers for Health Systems Research to Improve Health Outcomes 20 4.1 Epistemology Challenge 21 4.2 Applicability Challenge 21 4.3 Diversity Challenge 22 4.4 Comparativity Challenge 23 4.5 Priority-Setting Challenge 23 5. Strengthening the Contributions of Health Systems Research 23 5.1 Supporting Health Systems Research as a Field of Scientific Endeavour 24 5.1.1 Need for a Common Language 24 5.1.2 Need for Cross-Disciplinary and Cross-Jurisdictional Learning 24 5.1.3 Need for Leadership 24 5.2 Building National Capacity for Health Systems Research 25 5.2.1 Individual-Level Capacities 25 5.2.2 Organization-Level Capacities 26 5.2.3 System-Level Capacities 26 5.3 Embedding Health Systems Research as a Core Function of Health Systems 27 6. Conclusion 27 Appendix 1: Tabular Comparison of 41 Health System Frameworks 29 Appendix 2: Brief Summaries of 41 Health System Frameworks 42 Appendix 3: Institutional Partners of the Alliance for Health Policy & Systems Research 73 Appendix 4: Do You Know Your Health Systems Definitions? 80 Appendix 5: Taxonomy of the Health Systems Evidence Database 81
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TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of investment in education and training on earnings and employment are discussed. But the authors focus on the relationship between age and earnings and do not explore the relation between education and fertility.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of investments in human capital on an individual's potential earnings and psychic income was analyzed, taking into account varying cultures and political regimes, the research indicates that economic earnings tend to be positively correlated to education and skill level.
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TL;DR: The United States has the lowest percentage of the population with government-assured health insurance, and it also has the fewest hospital days per capita, the highest hospital expenditures per day, and substantially higher physician incomes than the other OECD countries.
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01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: Part 1: health care and cost containment in the EU - an overview - health care systems, health care spending, cost containment measures,cost containment measures in practice, Eli Mossialos and Julian Le Grand and Panos Kanovos.
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164 citations
TL;DR: Two of the most seasoned observers of comparative health system research and a colleague provide the latest data and some commentary upon them for the health care enterprises of the twenty-four countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Abstract: Prologue: Changes in the way health care systems finance services are often driven by some combination of data, public pressure, payer receptivity, and the expressed views of the medical profession and allied disciplines. In this paper, two of the most seasoned observers of comparative health system research and a colleague provide the latest data and some commentary upon them for the health care enterprises of the twenty-four countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). George Schieber is director of the Office of Research at the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Jean-Pierre Poullier is principal administrator, Directorate for Social Affairs, Manpower, and Education for the OECD in Paris. Leslie Greenwald is a health policy analyst in the HCFA Office of Research and also a doctoral candidate in public policy at the University of Virginia. The OECD's health database provides the most current road map available to compare the status of the ...
118 citations