Health Economics Commons^™

The Relationship Between Obesity And Use Of Electronics For Individuals Under The Age Of 21, Zeeshan Haque

Honors College Theses

Today, obesity is one of the largest health problems in America. There are several factors that contribute to obesity – but one problem that has been rising in this generation is the issues of children deciding to play video games, watch television, or spend time on the computer instead of healthier alternatives such as exercising or playing sports. One factor that could attribute to this is the large advancements in technology over the last few decades. The purpose of this research is to identify the relationship between electronics and obesity by analyzing data provided by the NHANES codebook. In this …

Understanding The Value Of Multi-Sector Partnerships To Improve Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

We review recent research concerning multi-sectoral partnerships aimed at improving health status on a population-wide basis, with a particular focus on implementation strategies and on health and economic impact. While still preliminary and emerging, research indicates that large health benefits are possible through collective actions that engage the medical, public health, and social sectors. Mechanisms for aligning incentives, dividing responsibilities equitably, and measuring progress regularly appear critical to success.

Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays, Rick Ingram

Health Management and Policy Presentations

We review methods for measuring the structure of public health delivery systems using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems. A growing body of research using these measures demonstrates how multiple sectors contribute to core public health functions, and how these functions influence community health status over time. We end with a summary of how the Comprehensive Public Health System measure will be used in monitoring the impact of the 21st Century Public Health System initiative.

What Is The True Cost To Stay In The Hospital?, Samantha Alicandro

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Currently, the unfortunate reality that receiving diverse health procedures can be extremely expensive is widely acknowledged and woefully accepted. However, have you inquired or been curious about the specific factors that influence the cost per day expensed by a hospital? Through examination, investigation, and evaluation operating SAS Enterprise Guide, SAS Enterprise Miner and Tableau I have attempted to arrive at a conclusion for this very question. Utilizing a 1.5 million row data set provided by Rhode Island, for the years 2003-2013, I analyzed the assorted elements conceivably bearing impact on the cost per day at a hospital. Regressions, decision trees, …

A Precarious Paradigm: Seeking Alternatives To Public-Private Partnerships In Health, A Case For The Code, Lena Mininberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: Breastfeeding is an unparalleled source of nutrition for infants and young children and is recommended as the best practice universally by the World Health Organization (WHO). The benefits in human health and development that result from exclusive and sustained breastfeeding have enormous economic development potential. Because of the non-legally binding nature of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code), and shifting socio-cultural norms, breastfeeding rates are at an alarming low. In order to progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, breastfeeding practices must be protected, promoted, and supported worldwide.

Objective: This research paper explores implementing strong measures …

Factors Influencing The Variation In Gms Prescribing Expenditure In Ireland, Aisling Conway Lenihan, S. Ahern, J. Cronin, N. Woods

Dept. of Management & Enterprise Publications

Background

Pharmaceutical expenditure growth is a familiar feature in many Western health systems and is a real concern for policymakers. A state funded General Medical Services (GMS) scheme in Ireland experienced an increase in prescription expenditure of 414 % between 1998 and 2012. This paper seeks to explore the rationale for this growth by investigating the composition (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Group level 1 & 5) and drivers of GMS drug expenditure in Ireland in 2012.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out on the Health Service Executive-Primary Care Reimbursement Service (HSE-PCRS) population prescribing database (n = 1,630,775). Three …

Aligning Delivery & Financing Systems To Advance A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Systems for Action Research Program supports research on how best to organize, finance, and deliver the constellation of services and supports that promote health and well-being in American communities, including but extending beyond the medical care and public health sectors. This session describes work underway through the S4A program and future research priorities, building on a strong scientific foundation in the fields of health services research (HSR) and public health services & systems research (PHSSR).

Integrating Health Services & Systems: What We Know, Think We Know, And Need To Learn, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The delivery and financing systems for medical care, public health, and social and community services pursue many common goals and serve overlapping groups of families and communities. Unfortunately, in most American communities these systems interact in complex and often poorly understood ways through fragmented funding vehicles, information flows, governance and decision-making structures, institutional relationships, implementation rules and strategies, and professional and interpersonal connections. New research approaches are required to untangle these interactions and expose novel pathways of influence that can support equitable improvements in service delivery, resource use, health impact, and wellbeing. This presentation will summarize evidence from recent studies …

Measuring Multi-Sector Contributions To Public Health Delivery Systems & Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

The National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems has followed a nationally-representative cohort of U.S. communities since 1998 to measure the scope of public health activities implemented in each community and the range of organizations and sectors that contribute to each activity. With 16 years of follow-up observations, this survey allows us to study the effects of demographic, economic, and policy shocks on public health delivery systems, and estimate the health effects attributable to delivery system change.

Measuring Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems And Their Contributions To Population Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Delivery and financing systems for public health services vary widely across U.S. communities, raising questions about the comparative effectiveness and efficiency of alternative structures. We summarize recent approaches for measuring alternative system configurations and estimating their health and economic effects.

The Fatality And Morbidity Components Of The Value Of Statistical Life, W. Kip Viscusi, Elissa Philip Gentry

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The fatality risk–money tradeoff that is the value of a statistical life (VSL) may vary with the nature of the fatality event. While all fatalities involve loss of future life expectancy, the morbidity effects and their duration may differ. This article analyzes fatality risks accompanied by morbidity effects of different duration to disentangle the mortality and morbidity components of VSL using data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The VSL is comprised of the sum of the value of the fatality risk and the value of the morbidity risk. Labor market valuations of morbidity risks are positive, even …

Caste-Ethnic Disparity In Vaccine Use Among 0- To 5-Year-Old Children In Nepal: A Decomposition Analysis, Satis Devkota, Christopher Butler

Economics & Management Publications

Objectives To examine what factors, if any, could account for caste/ethnic disparities in vaccine utilization between upper caste and indigenous, and upper caste and low caste (Dalit) groups in Nepal.

Methods Using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) approach to calculate disparity, we estimate the disparity between upper caste and indigenous, and between upper caste and Dalit 0- to 5-year-old children in Nepal. Then we use Fairlie’s non-linear regression-based decomposition technique to account for those disparities in immunization.

Results Using nationally representative data (the Nepal Living Standard Survey II and III), we construct a pooled cross-sectional series and calculate the disparity …

The Impact Of Nurse Turnover On Quality Of Care And Mortality In Nursing Homes: Evidence From The Great Recession, Yaa Akosa Antwi, John R. Bowblis

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

We estimate the causal effect of nurse turnover on mortality and the quality of nursing home care with a fixed effect instrumental variable estimation that uses the unemployment rate as an instrument for nursing turnover. We find that ignoring endogeneity leads to a systematic underestimation of the effect of nursing turnover on mortality and quality of care in a sample of California nursing homes. Specifically, 10 percentage point increase in nurse turnover results in a facility receiving 2.2 additional deficiencies per annual regulatory survey, reflecting a 19.3 percent increase. Not accounting for endogeneity of turnover leads to results that suggest …

Socioeconomic Gradients In Early Childhood Health: Evidence From Bangladesh And Nepal, Satis Devkota, Bibhudutta Panda

Economics & Management Publications

Background: A large literature has developed researching the origins of socioeconomic gradients in child health in developed countries. Particularly, this research examines the age at which these gradient effects emerge and how they change across different stages of childhood. However, similar research on developing countries is limited.

Methods: This paper examines the socioeconomic gradients in early childhood health in two developing countries, Bangladesh and Nepal using the 2011 Demographic and Health Surveys. The paper separately studies two measures of household socioeconomic status: household wealth and maternal educational attainment. Two anthropometric measures of early childhood health, height-for-age and weight-for-age Z scores …

Does Medical Malpractice Law Improve Health Care Quality?, Michael D. Frakes, Anupam B. Jena

Faculty Scholarship

Despite the fundamental role of deterrence in justifying a system of medical malpractice law, surprisingly little evidence has been put forth to date bearing on the relationship between medical liability forces on the one hand and medical errors and health care quality on the other. In this paper, we estimate this relationship using clinically validated measures of health care treatment quality constructed using data from the 1979 to 2005 National Hospital Discharge Surveys and the 1987 to 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System records. Drawing upon traditional, remedy-centric tort reforms — e.g., damage caps — we estimate that the current …

Income And Physical Activity Choices: A Comparison Between United States And China, Xiaowen Hu

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The low income population often appears to make poor health choices, including physical activity deficiency. Since outdoor physical activity does not have to be monetarily costly, one explanation for this phenomenon is related to the idea of time preference. Briefly, the benefit of future good health appears to be valued less by those with low income, and they face a choice between consumption today and better health in the future. The objective of this study is to further investigate the determinants of participation in physical activity with an emphasis on the effect of annual household income. This dissertation consists of …

The Economics Of Health, Donald J. Meyer Editor

Upjohn Press

Donald J. Meyer leads a group of notable health economists who explore critical issues—and their economic impacts—facing the nation's healthcare system today. These include lifestyle choices and their health impacts, decisions on medical care and self-care, the fee-for-service payment model, disability and workers’ compensation insurance claims, long-term care, and how various aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) impact the nation’s healthcare system. Contributors include M. Kate Bundorf, Marcus Dillender, John H. Goddeeris, Donald J. Meyer, Edward C. Norton, and Charles E. Phelps.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 2016 Economic Impact In El Paso, Texas, Manuel L. Reyes Loya, David A. Schauer, Jesus Mendoza

Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Years Of Good Life Based On Income And Health: Re-Engineering Cost-Benefit Analysis To Examine Policy Impact On Wellbeing And Distributive Justice, Richard Cookson, Owen Cotton-Barrett, Matthew D. Adler, Miqdad Asaria, Toby Ord

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Cash Transfers On Labor Force Participation And Household Consumption: Evidence From Post-Apartheid South Africa, Steve M. M. Muchiri

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

The Old Age Pension (OAP) program for elderly South Africans puts a significant cash transfer in the hands of many poor households. This dissertation investigates its impact on labor force participation and consumption of selected household items. In the first half of the dissertation, we take advantage of a policy reform that lowered men's OAP eligibility age from 65 to 60 for men to match that of women for estimation identification. Using the General Household Survey data, we first demonstrate that both men and women respond to the eligibility age by dropping from labor force participation at the eligibility age, …

Examining The Status Of African Americans And Hispanics In Arkansas, Kathy Deck, Mervin Jebaraj

Urban League of the State of Arkansas

The Urban League of the State of Arkansas seeks to lead efforts in advancing and obtaining equal opportunities for all citizens with a particular focus in the areas of health, education, jobs, and housing. In keeping with this mission, the Urban League of Arkansas partnered with the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to produce a report that provides data to identify key areas of need in the African American and Latino communities in Arkansas and develop programs and policies to address them.

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …

Is There A Trade-Off? Infant Health Outcomes And Managed Care Competition, Shana L. Moore

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This study offers insights into the impact of competition among Managed Care organizations (MCOs) on infant birthing charges and birth outcomes. Kentucky provides one of the nation’s first case studies to determine successes and failures of Medicaid MCOs, and by doing so, provides a prediction of the impact of Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) competition on healthcare costs and birth outcomes. An analysis of a natural policy experiment in the state of Kentucky reveals that infants insured by a Medicaid MCO stay longer in hospitals, are less healthy, and cost more than those insured under Traditional Medicaid prior to …

American Obesity: Rooted In Uncertainty, Institutions And Public Policy, James Woodward

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Despite the efforts of policymakers, medical professionals, and other stakeholders, obesity and related health problems show no signs of receding from their record-high rates. Public policy has largely taken the form of consumer advice, (e.g., USDA’s Dietary Guidelines). Since consumers bear most of the costs associated with their obesity, the goal of obesity prevention appears to be incentive-compatible, prima facie. That is, there is no a priori case for much further policy intervention unless existing advice is deficient or consumers’ exhibit systematically poor decision-making.

My review of the literature shows that scholars have long conveyed a consistent narrative regarding …

Improving Medicare & Medicaid Reimbursement Framework For Molecular Diagnostics Tests Using Gene Sequencing: A Case Study In Health Economics, Advait Apte

Dissertations and Theses

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of deaths among women, as about one in eight women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. After the diagnosis of breast cancer, chemotherapy is the commonly prescribed first line of treatment. In the recent past, research has shown that molecular diagnostic tests have revealed that about 20% of the tumors carry the HER-2 mutation on cell surface, which can be treated with the drug Herceptin, or trastuzumab, improving cancer free survival rates from 71.9% to 84.2% in five years. However, in spite of the observed increase in survival …

Determining The Predictive Ability Of Rural-Urban Migration For Health Indicators In China, Christopher Rick

Dissertations and Theses

Over one hundred million rural Chinese residents have migrated to urban areas within China for work. In cities, these workers often lack access to health insurance and licensed healthcare. Migrants are also more likely to work in dangerous jobs and to participate in high-risk behaviors. This paper analyzes two health indicators, blood pressure and grip strength, to determine if migrant status can predict health. This paper determines that migrant status is a significant predictor for blood pressure and grip strength, albeit in models with low predictive ability. However, the length of time since a person migrated is not a significant …

The Effect Of Doctors Without Borders On Low- And Middle-Income Countries In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nathan Hayenga

Honors College Theses

This research studies the relationship between the activity of medical disaster-response humanitarian aid and the rate of growth in developing economies. Data of total annual GDP and Doctors without Borders (MSF) activity in 23 countries was analyzed over the years 2000-2014 with correlation and regression analysis. Under this analysis results are inconclusive, with a correlation of zero between MSF activity’s within a country and change in that country’s rate of GDP growth. A conclusive response was found on the comparison between GDP growth in countries MSF was active in compared to countries with no MSF activity, showing that countries in …