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PHS815

Health Care Financing

This course explores the methods, sources, and policies that guide health care financing. It provides an overview of health financing, elucidating the rationale for fund allocation and service prioritization. The course examines factors encouraging inefficiency in health care, relevant laws, and theories in public health financing. It also highlights successful policies, methods for reducing financial barriers, and strategies for wise fund utilization. It is designed for health care managers, policy makers and planners.

About this course

Difficulty
Intermediate
Study hours
208 hours
Maths
Basic
Content
Theoretical, case study, problem solving
Practical work
No
How it is assessed
  • Assignments
  • Tutor marked assessments
  • Final examination

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

PHS815 · UNIT 1: DESCRIPTION OF HEALTH CARE FINANCING

The way a country finances its health care systems determines the health status of its citizenry. The selection of adequate and efficient method(s) of financing health care services as well as the organizational delivery structure for health care services is essential in achieving the objective of providing health care for all citizens in Nigeria.

What you should be able to do

  1. Understand health care financing methods
  2. Analyze health expenditures
  3. Apply resource allocation laws
  4. Evaluate health policies
  5. Identify inefficiencies in health systems
  6. Develop sustainable financing strategies

What it prepares you for

Careers
  • Health Economist
  • Health Policy Analyst
  • Healthcare Manager
  • Public Health Consultant
  • Financial Analyst
Where it is applied
  • Government health agencies
  • Hospitals
  • Insurance companies
  • Non-profit organizations
  • International health organizations

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

  • Module 1: Introduction to Health Financing

    Unit 3: Laws of Health Care Resource Allocation and their Economic Consequences

    Understanding the economic consequences of decisions requires analytical skills.

  • Module 2: Health Care Financing Administration

    Unit 1: Effective Organizational Change in Health Sector

    Requires understanding of complex organizational dynamics and healthcare delivery models.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 52 hours in total. Yours will differ.

  1. Week 1Module 1: Introduction to Health Financing
    • Unit 1: Description of Health Care Financing · 4 hours

      Understand health care financing and its management. Identify various methods of health care financing. Explain the policies guiding resource allocation in health care systems.

  2. Week 2Module 1: Introduction to Health Financing
    • Unit 2: Health Care Expenditures and the Macroeconomic Level of Health Care Financing · 4 hours

      Understand the determinants of catastrophic expenditure. Identify whether federal, state and local governments implement health financing strategies in line with the National Health Financing Policy. Explore the extent to which efficiency and equity in the allocation and use of health sector resources at all levels are functional..

  3. Week 3Module 1: Introduction to Health Financing
    • Unit 3: Laws of Health Care Resource Allocation and their Economic Consequences · 4 hours

      Know the economic consequences of decisions made in resource allocation. Identify the focus of health financing policy. Examine how health policy analysis can strengthen health financing governance at all levels..

  4. Week 4Module 2: Health Care Financing Administration
    • Unit 1: Effective Organizational Change in Health Sector · 4 hours

      Understand the limitations in public health care services. Know the factors that positively influence health care services. Understand the factors that encourage effective organizational change in the health sector.

  5. Week 5Module 2: Health Care Financing Administration
    • Unit 2: Approaches for Reaching Universal Health Coverage (UHC) · 4 hours

      Understand issues associated with effective financing of UHC. Identify the factors that can enhance UHC. Understand how health care financing is administered.

  6. Week 6Module 2: Health Care Financing Administration
    • Unit 3: Health Service Development and Planning · 4 hours

      Identify different stages of health planning. Know the causes of poor planning processes. Identify the factors that encourage successful health care financing policies.

  7. Week 7Module 3: Health Care Financing and the Sustainability of Health Systems
    • Unit 1: Health Outcomes, Economic Linkages and Policy · 4 hours

      Identify the factors that influence supply and demand of health care. Know the effectiveness of budgeting and monitoring mechanisms. Explain the effects of price increase on the consumption of health care services.

  8. Week 8Module 3: Health Care Financing and the Sustainability of Health Systems
    • Unit 2: Opportunities in Executive Health Care Financing · 4 hours

      Understand the qualities of a good resource allocation. Know how to describe the organization of a hospital in economic terms. Identify how inputs are combined to produce more outputs.

  9. Week 9Module 3: Health Care Financing and the Sustainability of Health Systems
    • Unit 3: The Sustainability of Health Care Systems · 4 hours

      Identify the benefits of a good health financing system. Know the effects of Social Health Insurance. Explain why a systemic view of health financing is necessary.

  10. Week 10Module 1: Introduction to Health Financing
    • Unit 1: Description of Health Care Financing · 4 hours

      Review key concepts from Module 1. Complete TMA 1. Prepare for discussions.

  11. Week 11Module 2: Health Care Financing Administration
    • Unit 1: Effective Organizational Change in Health Sector · 4 hours

      Review key concepts from Module 2. Complete TMA 2. Prepare for discussions.

  12. Week 12Module 3: Health Care Financing and the Sustainability of Health Systems
    • Unit 1: Health Outcomes, Economic Linkages and Policy · 4 hours

      Review key concepts from Module 3. Complete TMA 3. Prepare for discussions.

  13. Week 13Module 3: Health Care Financing and the Sustainability of Health Systems
    • Unit 3: The Sustainability of Health Care Systems · 4 hours

      Comprehensive course review. Focus on challenging concepts. Final preparations for examination.

Preparing for the exam

What to do
  • Create concept maps linking Modules 1-3
  • Practice applying resource allocation laws from Unit 3
  • Review case studies from Units 4-6
  • Focus on key policy concepts from Units 7-9
  • Practice answering essay questions from TMAs

Questions students ask about this course

What is PHS815 about?

This course explores the methods, sources, and policies that guide health care financing. It provides an overview of health financing, elucidating the rationale for fund allocation and service prioritization. The course examines factors encouraging inefficiency in health care, relevant laws, and theories in public health financing. It also highlights successful policies, methods for reducing financial barriers, and strategies for wise fund utilization. It is designed for health care managers, policy makers and planners.

How many units does PHS815 have?

PHS815, Health Care Financing, has 9 units across 3 modules, over 186 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is PHS815?

PHS815 carries 2 credit units, at 800 level in Health Sciences.

Is PHS815 hard?

PHS815 is rated intermediate level, with basic mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, case study and problem solving work.

How long does PHS815 take to study?

About 208 hours of study, spread across its 9 units.

How is PHS815 assessed?

PHS815 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor marked assessments and Final examination.

What can I do with PHS815?

Health Economist, Health Policy Analyst, Healthcare Manager, Public Health Consultant and Financial Analyst.

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