Understanding Economics and Financing for Health System Efficiency

Understanding health economics and health care financing is essential for building efficient and sustainable programs in health systems around the globe. This course will provide an introduction to economic principles and methods that can be used by practitioners and health care workers in the field to best make day to day decisions that involve financing and overlap with economic principles. The skills learned in this course can be utilized to improve the sustainability and efficiency of health care programs in countries around the globe.

• Learn basic economic principles and methods to assess key health system problems
• Examine market places (insurance, labor, pharmaceuticals, education) for efficient system strategies
• Learn the key concepts of health care financing and pay for performance
• Learn economic evaluation tools (Cost Effectiveness, Return on Investment, Cost Benefit)
• Create own draft country-based Strategic Plan focusing on health economics and financing principles

The curriculum of the course includes the following:

• Financing Tools and Concepts and Case Study
• Health Economics tools and applications
• Insurance and Markets
• Pay for Performance and Case Studies
• Economic Evaluation Tools

This five-day in-person course is designed for individuals working in either the public or private sectors who are managing and/or developing strategies and policies that are impacted by health care economics and financing. We are seeking experienced participants working in the health sector. Applicants from both government and non-governmental organizations will benefit from this course.

Additionally, we encourage participation by teams of participants who can work together in the course to develop draft strategic plans for their own organizations or countries

This interactive course offers a blend of theory and practice, geared to an audience focused on implementation. Included throughout the course are lectures, Q&A time, group work, case studies, problem sets, and preparation of group and individual case presentations. Facilitated discussion among participants is expected throughout the course. Participants are encouraged to have on hand their own country material and resources on health systems related to the process of human resources development and management.

Dr. Diana Bowser has her primary academic appointment at Boston College as the Associate Dean for Research and Integrated Science at the Connell School of Nursing and is an adjunct associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she is the Course Director for Global Executive Courses within the International Health Systems Program. She has 20 years of experience in health system analysis related to health economics, health policy, and using econometric methods to evaluate health system changes in Latin America, Africa, and the United States. She has collaborated with Dr. Bossert on both research and training programs about decentralization. She has provided technical assistance and conducted research with funding from USAID, DFID, WHO, the Global Fund, Save the Children, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IADB, NIH, and the World Bank. She has worked closely with the following governments on these policy issues: Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Namibia, Swaziland, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Ukraine, Kosovo, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.

Dr. Nathan Blanchet is a health economist and international development leader with over 25 years of experience advancing public health and health systems in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia through research, teaching, and nonprofit program leadership. He currently serves as Project Director for the global Integrated Health Systems Strengthening project at FHI 360 and directed a similar HSS initiative at Results for Development from 2018 to 2024. Dr. Blanchet has led research and implementation of efforts related to national health insurance programs, primary health care, integrating vertically-financed and private health services into sustainable financing systems, and the political economy of health reforms. He has also guest lectured at American University and George Washington University.

Dr. Blanchet holds an ScD in global health and population from HSPH, an MA from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and a BA in political science and French from Miami University.