health economics include the meaning and measurement of health status, the production of health and health care, the demand for health and health services, health economic evaluation, health insurance, the analysis of health care markets, health care financing, and hospital economics.
Broadly, health economists study the functioning of the health care system and the private and social causes of health-affecting behaviors. Economic studies can show, for example, where limited public resources might be spent to save lives or cause the greatest increase in quality of life.
Health financing is concerned with how financial resources are generated, allocated and used in health systems. Examples of health financing issues include: (I) how and from where to raise sufficient funds for health; (II) how to overcome financial barriers that exclude many poor from accessing health services; or (III) how to provide an equitable and efficient mix of health services.
Task 3. Read the following sentences. Which ones are true and which ones are false?
1)Public health is the science and practice of protecting and improving the health of a community.
2)Economics is an act or means of thrifty saving.
3)Health economists study anatomy and physiology, diseases and their treatment.
4)Health financing systems have three important, inter-related roles: to raise sufficient funds for health; to pool them to spread the financial risks associated with paying for care; and to use the available funds to purchase and provide the desired health services.
Task 4. Find in the text synonyms and antonyms for the following words. The words are given in the same order as in the text:
|
SYNONYMS |
|
ANTONYMS |
- |
health care (n) |
- |
shorten (v) |
- |
exertion (n) |
- |
public (adj) |
- |
person (n) |
- |
abundance (n) |
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- |
manufacture (n) |
- |
lower (v) |
- |
merchandise (n) |
- |
rich (n) |
- |
question (n) |
- |
inefficient (adj) |
- |
consider (v) |
- |
unlimited (adj) |
- |
comprise (v) |
- |
decrease (n) |
- |
rightful (adj) |
- |
surplus (n) |
|
|
|
|
Task 5. Match the following words from the text with their definitions:
1) health |
a) money that is readily available |
2) goods |
b) to investigate or examine, as by observation, re- |
|
search, etc |
3) branch |
c) the state of being bodily and mentally vigorous and |
|
free from disease |
4) to study |
d) physical things that are produced to be sold, including |
|
things that are manufactured or prepared and raw mate- |
|
rials |
5) cause |
e) to gain access to; make accessible or available |
6) funds |
f) a subdivision or subsidiary section of something larger |
|
or more complex |
7) to access |
g) functioning or producing effectively and with the least |
|
waste of effort |
8) efficient |
h) a person, thing, event, state, or action that produces |
|
an effect |
Task 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple (active). See Appendix1.
1)Governments … (tend) to regulate the health care industry heavily.
2)Medical debt … (be) the principal cause of bankruptcy in the United States.
3)In many countries the price of health care services still … (push) many people into poverty.
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4) Most countries … (have) their own government public health agencies.
5)Economics … (be) the social science that … (study) the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
6)They … (not/discuss) health economics questions.
Task 7. Translate the following text into English using the dictionary:
Финансы это:
–деньги, предоставленные в долг для определенной цели;
–управление деньгами странами, организациям или людьми;
–изучение управления капиталом.
Высокие финансы включают в себя большие суммы денег, используемые правительствами и крупными компаниями. Финансы человека или организации – это деньги, которые у них есть и то как ими управляют.
Экономика это:
–изучение того, как деньги работают и используются;
–расчеты того, будет ли конкретный вид деятельности прибыльным.
Экономические показатели - это цифры, показывающие, на-
сколько хорошо работает экономика (экономическая система) страны.
Экономический выход - это стоимость товаров и услуг, произведенных в стране или области. Валовой внутренний продукт или ВВП - это стоимость всех товаров и услуг, произведенных в определенной стране. Размер экономики также иногда измеряется с точки зрения валового национального продукта или ВНП. Сюда же вхо-
дит оплата из-за рубежа, например, от инвестиций. Рост - это когда увеличивается объем производства в экономике. Темп роста - это скорость, с которой экономика компании растет и становится больше.
Task 8. Prepare a short report based on these questions:
1.How is Public Health supported by the government in Russia?
2.How and from where are sufficient funds for health raised?
3.How does our government try to overcome financial barriers that exclude many poor from accessing health services?
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UNIT 2. MARKETING IN THE HEALTH CARE FACILITY
Task 1. Match the following English words and phrases with their Russian
equivalents: |
|
1) organizational structure |
a) долговременное (перспектив- |
2) marketing concepts |
ное) плановое усилие |
3) facility |
b) разделение |
4) the essence |
c) сущность |
5) goal |
d) интегрировать |
6) the transition |
e) предприятие |
7) long-range planning ef- |
f) организационная структура |
fort |
g) приемлемое для их потребите- |
8)acceptable to its con- |
лей |
sumers |
h) переход |
9) misconception |
i ) недопонимание |
10) fragmentation |
j ) цель |
11) marketing functions |
k) маркетинговые понятия |
12) to integrate |
l) маркетинговые функции |
Task 2. Read the text and get ready to speak about marketing and its role in the health care facility.
Marketing in the Health Care facility
Many administrators argue about marketing, its role in the health care facility, level at which it should be placed in the organizational structure, and the responsibilities of the marketing administrator.
Unfortunately, administrators have not recognized marketing’s role as a vital part of the health care facility. Operating functions, community services, patient and community education, admission and discharge planning are examples of marketing functions that hospitals have always performed. The essence of the ‘marketing concepts’ is that the organization and its staff must be responsive to its consumers. Health care professionals respond to the needs and wants of their consumers. Health care facilities have just been calling them by different names. The transition to
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new words is not always easy.
Financial and planning decisions are often made in vacuum. For example, medium sized health care facilities were simultaneously conducting a financial review of all services, a long-range planning effort, and the development of a marketing plan. Marketing integrates consumer perspective into the planning and strategy process of the hospital by matching the hospital’s goals and consumer goals. In this way, marketing helps the hospital to develop a program that is mutually acceptable to its consumers and itself.
Unluckily, marketing is still perceived as a tool, not as an integral function of the day-to-day operation of the health care facility. This misconception is due to the fragmentation marketing functions throughout various departments. The solution is to collect organizationally all of the marketing functions under one senior level administrator for marketing. When these functions are integrated and coordinated, marketing will ‘drive’ many of the day-to-day decisions made by operating management. Only in this way marketing will become a full partner with other administrative functions. Then, the hospitals will be able to take full advantage of the benefits of marketing.
Task 3. Answer the following questions:
1.Do administrators agree about marketing and its role in the health care facility?
2.What are the examples of marketing functions that hospitals have always performed?
3.What is the essence of the ‘marketing concepts’?
4.Do health care professionals respond to the needs and wants of their consumers?
5.How does marketing integrate consumer perspective into planning and strategy process of the hospital?
6.Is marketing a tool of the day-to-day operation of the health care facility?
7.Which marketing functions should we collect under one senior level administrator?
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