About one in ten patients are harmed during health care. This paper estimates the health, financial and economic costs of this harm. Results indicate that patient harm exerts a considerable global health burden. The financial cost on health systems is also considerable and if the flow-on...

This article looks at the application of performance measurement systems in the health sector across OECD countries. The data comes from the 2017 OECD Survey on Performance Measurement Systems in the Health Sector and Responsibilities across Levels of Government. The results show that the...

Measuring health care productivity is important as health is a large sector of the economy and with the majority of funding coming from public sources, the outlook for productivity growth is a critical factor in the debate about fiscal sustainability. The UK has over 20 years’ experience of...

In light of the many discussions advocating the use of pay-for-performance and performance budgeting, this paper argues that discouraging experience with both approaches should temper expectations that performance measurement can be a reform that will make health care systems more "sustainable"...

Universal health coverage has been achieved in nearly all OECD countries, providing the population with access to a defined range of goods and services. This paper provides detailed descriptions of how countries delineate the range of benefits covered, including the role of health technology...

The German healthcare system faces urgent challenges, with Minister Karl Lauterbach proposing two major reforms: restructuring hospital financing and overhauling emergency services. While past efforts to reform emergency care have failed, the current crisis - exacerbated by staff shortages and...

Das deutsche Gesundheitswesen steht vor einer Vielzahl an Herausforderungen, die sich aus dem demografischen Wandel, den Anforderungen an eine solide Finanzierung und Wirtschaftlichkeit, der Notwendigkeit zur Entbürokratisierung und der Digitalisierung ergeben. Im Mittelpunkt dieses...

In the March 2024 issue, Wirtschaftsdienst published an article entitled "Inflation calculation: ECB Interest Rate Policy is Not Statistically Recognised as a Driver of Inflation" by Johannes Schwanitz. Manuel Rupprecht takes a different view in a reply; Schwanitz then explains his position in a...

We use a randomized community development programme in rural Pakistan to assess the impact of citizen engagement on public service delivery and maternal and child health outcomes. The programme had a strong focus on ensuring the participation of women. Women in the study villages had also...

Der Wettbewerb im deutschen Gesundheitswesen ist – vor allem zwischen den Leistungserbringern – trotz diverser Reformen nicht sehr ausgeprägt. Inzwischen gibt es zwar die Möglichkeit, individuelle Verträge zwischen einzelnen Anbietern und den Krankenkassen abzuschließen, dies wird aber...