LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course provides advanced economics concepts to the central issues in health economics and health policy. The course is intended to ensure that students have command of the main tools used in public economic analysis. Students are introduced to economics of information and to “mathematical modes of analysis” and provided with sufficient command of such analysis to enable them to undertake advanced theoretical and empirical work in the areas of health and public economics. In particular students will improve their understanding of and skills in the “wide” field of health economics: health policy, pharmaceutical economics and policy, health care programmes economic evaluation, health care market regulation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

•  In-depth knowledge of economic theory and evaluation models applied to health programmes
•  Understanding health care market and the role played by uncertainty and asymmetric information
•  Apply theoretical economic analysis to evaluate public and private policies
•  Effectively synthesize evidence to inform key stakeholders including industry, regulators, and policy makers
•  Analyze the structure and functions of Italian and international health care systems, focusing on finance and delivery
•  Ability to design, conduct and critically interpret health assessment (Health Technology Assessment)

An in-depth understanding of key economic issues of the healthcare sector
An in-depth understanding of different reimbursement systems in healthcare in terms of their efficiency and incentives.
Insights of health inequalities and social determinants of health.
Critical understanding of economics principles and concepts applied to healthcare and health policy.
Skills in the empirical analysis of observational data sets to determine cost-effectiveness of programmes, interpret results from econometric analysis and also apply statistical techniques to economic evaluation.

PREREQUISITES

None

TEACHING METHODS

Face to face lectures mixed up with laboratory sessions. As part of the course there is the laboratory of Health Economics. The laboratory aims at using a data-driven approach to objectively prioritize policy choices in the field of health economics. By the use of Stata software, the laboratory will show how to exploit large-scale datasets and advanced economic and econometric techniques to identify the most effective and fair policy actions to govern ageing societies (e.g. selection of value for money technologies; new drugs distribution channels; strengthening of territorial medicine; management paths of chronic conditions; visits and exams with extended hours and on weekends; telemedicine).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Health economics: general principles and theoretical approach
Information asymmetry in the health care market: adverse selection and moral hazard, incomplete contracts, incentives, uncertainty and risk
Economic analysis of health care services and insurance systems
Insurance markets - Government purchasing of health services - Ownership (for profit-not for profit) and hospital behavior
Pharmaceutical economics and policy, the pharmaceutical industry
Equity in health
Health Technology Assessment and Health Related quality of life
Methods for economic evaluation of health sector and health policies.