Health Care Regulation: Impact on the Supply of Outpatient Services in the Czech Republic

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of regulatory policy on the supply of outpatient services and on their geographical distribution in the Czech Republic. The analysis of regulatory policy is based on the review of literature. Trends and regional distribution were analysed quantitatively on the data for the period of 1990 to 2002. Regulation introduced in 1997 led to a financial stability of the health sector, but it did not have a great impact on the level and distribution of outpatient services. Regulatory policy can be seen as a failure if one assumes that improved quality, effectiveness, and efficiency are the objectives of the health system. The supply of outpatient services is unevenly distributed. For example, one-quarter of outpatient services in psychiatry is concentrated in the capital.