What are the considerations in the provider payment mechanism? How we raise money to pay for health care is an important issue. But equally important are the daunting tasks of organizing health service delivery, and compensating individuals and organizations that provide these services. To meet the increasing demand for health care services, health care workers … Continue reading Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 2)
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Pen Point 49
Various provider payment mechanisms will continue to exist in the country’s health care system. Emphasis is placed, however, on the current movement towards using performance-driven, prospective payments (e.g. Global Budget Payment) based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG). The shift to DRG-based GBP will not be easy. Mechanisms should be in place to avoid underprovision and ensure … Continue reading Pen Point 49
Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 1)
Introduction Many countries are scrambling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary focus has been on strengthening health systems to improve surge capacity1,2. At the same time, countries are faced with the difficulty of balancing the demands of responding to the pandemic with the need to maintain the delivery of essential health services2. This … Continue reading Pandemic Financing: How the World is Funding the COVID-19 Response (Part 1)
THE CHALLENGE OF ENSURING PHILHEALTH COVERAGE AMONG OFWS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In order to reduce the financial uncertainties associated with future illnesses, Overseas Filipino Workers are encouraged to enroll themselves in the national health insurance program. However, not all OFWs are enrolled in the program or are actively paying their premiums. The reasons behind this include limited knowledge about Philhealth and its services. This, … Continue reading THE CHALLENGE OF ENSURING PHILHEALTH COVERAGE AMONG OFWS
Health Economics Series: Cost Efficiency and Allocative Efficiency
A government can be cost-efficient but have poor allocative efficiency. Cost efficiency achieves the maximum health benefit at a given cost while allocative efficiency maximizes the health of society by achieving the right mixture of health goods and services according to preferences. Say for example the government wants to produce more midwives under a national … Continue reading Health Economics Series: Cost Efficiency and Allocative Efficiency
Health Economics Series: Average Productivity and Marginal Productivity
Average productivity (AP) is simply the quotient of the total output (O) divided by the number of units of a certain input (I) [i.e. AP = O / I]. Marginal productivity (MP), on one hand, is the additional output derived from an additional unit of a certain input [i.e. MP = ∆O / ∆I]. Example: … Continue reading Health Economics Series: Average Productivity and Marginal Productivity
Health Economics Series: Uncertainty and Asymmetric Information
Uncertainty is a situation where it is impossible to know the likelihood (unknown probabilities) of an event occurring while information asymmetry is a situation in which one party has more / better information than the other party. Many Filipinos exhibit the first type of information failure: uncertainty. Filipinos are not keen on examining the financial … Continue reading Health Economics Series: Uncertainty and Asymmetric Information
Pen Point 47
Duterte & his allies have mastered the art of deception and selective justice. Deception of people for the sake of the people is a contradiction in democracy. Indeed, politics is a dirty game. Remember that there are no permanent friends, or enemies, only permanent (sometimes selfish) interests. Inaction is action. Our government is responsible both … Continue reading Pen Point 47
Share the road
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public transportation system was paralyzed to limit our mobility. Some government agencies, hospitals, and private organizations were quick to assist medical and non-medical frontliners in their day-to-day travel to and from work by providing other means of transportation such as free shuttle services. Notably, more bike riders are now … Continue reading Share the road
Burned and scarred
WARNING: This post contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing. Many of us assume that pay and other rewards are all that we can expect to receive from our work. There is less emphasis on less-tangible but equally important benefits like trust, respect, civility, and the opportunity to make a positive … Continue reading Burned and scarred
Pens & Needles 