MZKEZ0221s Economy of health care and health service providers I- p

Faculty of Medicine
spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. MUDr. Regina Demlová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
RNDr. Tomáš Pavlík, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Ing. Jana Rozmarinová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Tereza Friessová (assistant)
Mgr. Bc. Alena Langaufová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. MUDr. Regina Demlová, Ph.D.
Department of Health Sciences – Departments of Non-medical Branches – Faculty of Medicine
Contact Person: Mgr. Bc. Alena Langaufová, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Health Sciences – Departments of Non-medical Branches – Faculty of Medicine
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course describes and explains the functioning of healthcare as a sector of the national economy in the Czech Republic and introduces students to the economic operations of healthcare providers in our country. It builds on the more general Economics and Finance seminar.

The aim is:
a) to deepen students' knowledge of the institutional structure of the Czech health care system, to understand its specifics and to be able to critically evaluate alternatives for possible changes in this area using the logical-historical method;
b) to gain a deeper understanding of the role of health insurance companies, their contractual policy and the methods used to reimburse care.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- interpret and critically evaluate the development of essential economic parameters of the health care sector (scope of care, cost development, pricing);
- describe the role of health insurance companies in the Czech health care system and explain the nature and main principles of their activity, including the guarantee of access to care, their share in price formation and their relationship to the state;
- independently track down information and data on the development of reimbursement and financing of individual segments of care and evaluate them;
- understand the logic, explain and apply the principles underlying the current methods of health care reimbursement in the Czech Republic (especially DRGs).
Syllabus
  • 1. Transformation of Czech healthcare after 1990. History, main principles, capacities, problems.
  • 2. Institutional form of current Czech health care; role of public administration.
  • 3. Status and role of health insurance companies in the system. Health insurance plans, contractual policy in the context of the position of guarantor of access to care, financing, negotiation procedure - pricing.
  • 4. Performance-based methods of reimbursement and their impact on system efficiency and decision-making of health care institutions.
Literature
    required literature
  • ZLÁMAL, Jaroslav and Jana BELLOVÁ. Ekonomika zdravotnictví. Vyd. 2., upr. Brno: NCONZO, 2013, 247 s. ISBN 9788070135518. info
    recommended literature
  • HOLČÍK, Jan, Adolf ŽÁČEK and Ilona KOUPILOVÁ. Sociální lékařství. 2. dopl. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita v Brně, 1998, 137 s. ISBN 8021019077. info
  • MALÝ, Ivan. Problém optimální alokace zdrojů ve zdravotnictví (An Optimal Resource Allocation in the Health Care). první vydání. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1998, s. 114. ISBN 80-210-2006-7. info
    not specified
  • Kolektiv, Zdravotní politika a její ekonomická dimenze. Elektronická učebnice, dostupná na stránkách předmětu v ISu. MU Brno, 2015.
Teaching methods
self-study of materials and subsequent group discussion
Assessment methods
Successful completion of the course is conditional on the completion of the final group discussion (colloquium).
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 5.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms spring 2023, spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/spring2025/MZKEZ0221s