Health Economics and Policy
Health Economics and Policy
7th Edition
ISBN: 9781337106757
Author: James W. Henderson
Publisher: Cengage Learning
Question
Book Icon
Chapter 8, Problem 1QAP
To determine

To provide definitions to terms used regularly by third party payers and explain these terms affect the providers’ incentives, fees and overall utilization.

a)

Fee for service payment model.

Expert Solution
Check Mark

Answer to Problem 1QAP

The fee for service payment model is a traditional payment method in medical care where the provider bills for each service provided.

Explanation of Solution

Within a fee for service payment model providers can pass reimburse all their costs, with no regard on how inefficient the production of services. This system can be described as a cost-plus pricing system.

There is no incentive for providers to search for more efficient methods of production in a cost-plus environment. Furthermore, patients have no incentive to search for providers who offer lower prices. In comparison, competitive markets reward providers for offering quality products at the lowest price. However, in cost-plus markets, providers are rewarded by offering more services at higher prices while passing on the additional costs to third-party payers.

Economics Concept Introduction

Introduction:

Certain concepts that exist within health care involve certain variances in terms of providers’ incentives, fees and overall utilization.

b)

To determine

Assignment.

b)

Expert Solution
Check Mark

Answer to Problem 1QAP

An assignment can be defined as a Medicare policy that provides physicians a guaranteed payment of 80 percent of the allowable fee. By accepting an assignment, physicians agree to accept the allowable fee as full payment and forgo the practice of balance billing.

Explanation of Solution

From the perspective of the physician, the problem of assignment centers on the relationship between the fee usually charged for the service provided and the Medicare allowable fee, which is often much lower. Physicians' issue with the Medicare allowable fee is that it is below their average cost of providing medical services. Even though providing care to the Medicare segment of the market may not cover fully allocated costs, each transaction is reimbursed at a rate that covers the physician’s opportunity cost. Whether the physician is better off or worse off depends on whether the extra profits from private patients offset the losses incurred in providing care to Medicare patients.

c)

To determine

Capitation.

c)

Expert Solution
Check Mark

Answer to Problem 1QAP

Capitation can be defined as a payment method that provides a fixed, per capita payment to providers for a specified medical benefits package. Capitation requires the providers to treat a well-defined population for a fixed sum of money, paid in advance, without regard to the number or nature of the services provided to each person.

Explanation of Solution

Providing care for a fixed fee changes the nature of the physician-patient relationship. Capitation has reduced the incentive of providers to purchase services that are largely unnecessary and take advantage of uninformed consumers. However, there is a risk of omitting potentially beneficial care in the name of cost-saving. However, under capitation, all necessary care is provided for a well-defined group. Hence utilization of services is in control of the provider.

d)

To determine

Risk Sharing.

d)

Expert Solution
Check Mark

Answer to Problem 1QAP

Risk sharing contracts involves in the spreading of financial risks of health care towards the providers.

Explanation of Solution

Risk-sharing discourages the over utilization of services, the use of expensive technology, brand-name prescription drugs, referrals to specialists, and inpatient hospital procedures. Many managed care plans contract with primary care physicians using either prepayment or capitation (lump-sum payments per enrollee determined in advance). Prepayment shifts the financial risk to the providers. Rather than making payments on a per-service basis, primary care physicians will receive a fixed payment determined in advance to provide all necessary primary and preventive care for a specific group of patients. Some managed care plans involve withholding a percentage of the authorized payment so that providers control utilization and cost. Primary care physicians serve as gatekeepers who are under strict budgets for hospital services, specialty referrals, and prescription drugs for patients they cover. Bonuses are provided to physicians who provide care within the predetermined budgets. Those who do not are penalized. They are penalized through either forfeiting part or all of their withholdings to the plan. This risk-sharing arrangement provides strong incentives for physicians to control utilization.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Test Preparation QUESTION 2 [20] 2.1 Body Mass Index (BMI) is a summary measure of relative health. It is calculated by dividing an individual's weight (in kilograms) by the square of their height (in meters). A small sample was drawn from the population of UWC students to determine the effect of exercise on BMI score. Given the following table, find the constant and slope parameters of the sample regression function of BMI = f(Weekly exercise hours). Interpret the two estimated parameter values. X (Weekly exercise hours) Y (Body-Mass index) QUESTION 3 2 4 6 8 10 12 41 38 33 27 23 19 Derek investigates the relationship between the days (per year) absent from work (ABSENT) and the number of years taken for the worker to be promoted (PROMOTION). He interviewed a sample of 22 employees in Cape Town to obtain information on ABSENT (X) and PROMOTION (Y), and derived the following: ΣΧ ΣΥ 341 ΣΧΥ 176 ΣΧ 1187 1012 3.1 By using the OLS method, prove that the constant and slope parameters of the…
QUESTION 2 2.1 [30] Mariana, a researcher at the World Health Organisation (WHO), collects information on weekly study hours (HOURS) and blood pressure level when writing a test (BLOOD) from a sample of university students across the country, before running the regression BLOOD = f(STUDY). She collects data from 5 students as listed below: X (STUDY) 2 Y (BLOOD) 4 6 8 10 141 138 133 127 123 2.1.1 By using the OLS method and the information above derive the values for parameters B1 and B2. 2.1.2 Derive the RSS (sum of squares for the residuals). 2.1.3 Hence, calculate ô 2.2 2.3 (6) (3) Further, she replicates her study and collects data from 122 students from a rival university. She derives the residuals followed by computing skewness (S) equals -1.25 and kurtosis (K) equals 8.25 for the rival university data. Conduct the Jacque-Bera test of normality at a = 0.05. (5) Upon tasked with deriving estimates of ẞ1, B2, 82 and the standard errors (SE) of ẞ1 and B₂ for the replicated data.…
If you were put in charge of ensuring that the mining industry in canada becomes more sustainable over the course of the next decade (2025-2035), how would you approach this? Come up with (at least) one resolution for each of the 4 major types of conflict: social, environmental, economic, and political
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
EBK HEALTH ECONOMICS AND POLICY
Economics
ISBN:9781337668279
Author:Henderson
Publisher:YUZU
Text book image
Microeconomics: Private and Public Choice (MindTa...
Economics
ISBN:9781305506893
Author:James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Economics: Private and Public Choice (MindTap Cou...
Economics
ISBN:9781305506725
Author:James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Economics:
Economics
ISBN:9781285859460
Author:BOYES, William
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Managerial Economics: A Problem Solving Approach
Economics
ISBN:9781337106665
Author:Luke M. Froeb, Brian T. McCann, Michael R. Ward, Mike Shor
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Text book image
Exploring Economics
Economics
ISBN:9781544336329
Author:Robert L. Sexton
Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc