Health Economics: Fundamentals and Flow of Funds [Hardcover]

Thomas E. Getzen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471432032 | ISBN-13: 978-0471432036 | Edition: 2nd

A practical primer to the dynamic field of health economics. Written by Thomas Getzen, a leading academic and practitioner, and currently Director of the International Health Economics Association, this complete, accessible text introduces students to the economic analysis of medical markets and the production of health.
Updated and revised with new cases and the latest developments in the field, the new Second Edition traces the economic rationale and development of the medical care organization. It thoroughly introduces students to the principles and concepts of health economics without requiring prolonged preparatory work or extensive mathematical manipulation.
* Cases illustrate practical uses of economic theory in each chapter.
* More streamlined presentation of macro and historical materials.
* Covers the relationship of marketing to marginal cost.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Instructor's Manual available. -- The publisher, John Wiley & Sons --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

This text is a primer for the economic analysis of medical markets and the production of health. It traces the economic rationale and development of the medical care organization. The first thirteen chapters use a "flow of funds" approach to describe the incentives and organizational structure of the health care system. Transactions between patients and physicians (and other) are examined to see how profits are made, costs covered, contracts written (or implied), and regulations formed. The continuing evolution of the system in the U.S. is the subject of two chapters on managed care. The last seven chapters take a wider macroeconomic perspective in order to explore the dynamics of change within the health care system, and to explicitly consider determinants of national health spending and the role of governments in public and private health. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2nd edition (June 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471432032
• ISBN-13: 978-0471432036
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,523,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas E. Getzen, Ph.D., is Professor of Risk, Insurance and Health Management at the Fox School of Business, Temple University and Executive Director of iHEA, the International Health Economics Association, with 2400 academic and professional members in 72 countries (www.healtheconomics.org). He has also served as visiting professor at the University of Toronto, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy at Princeton University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York. His textbook Health Economics: Fundamentals and Flow of Funds (Wiley; 4th ed., 2010) is used in graduate and undergraduate programs throughout the world. His research focuses on the macroeconomics of health, finance, forecasting medical expenditures and physician supply, price indexes, public health economics, and related issues. He recently completed a model of long-run medical cost trends for use by the Society of Actuaries, building on the work of economists at the CMS and CBO. Currently Professor Getzen is conducting an organizational study of tissue banking focused on organizational dynamics, pricing and the creation of medical value.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction to health care economics., June 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Health Economics: Fundamentals and Flow of Funds (Hardcover)

I wrote a paper on managed care competition for an economics course. This book proved invaluable. Without any previous knowledge of health economics, I was able to read, learn, and understand a fairly complex subject in a short amount of time using this book. The text covers everything but remains at an undergrad level. The arguments and examples are simple, clear, interesting, and easy to remember. I definitely found this to be the best introduction and overview to health economics, after having read six or seven books on the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, even-handed treatment of a touchy subject, August 21, 2009

By 

M. Anderson "Just the Fact, Please" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Health Economics and Financing (Hardcover)

I am currently reading this book for an online course I am taking, and I am very impressed. It is well-reasoned, seeks to look at all perspectives objectively and avoids the trap of taking sides in the current healthcare debate. While the subject matter is by no means easy, the book is nonetheless highly accessible and engaging. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody wishing to gain a solid understanding of our healthcare system in the United States.

4.0 out of 5 stars Purchased book for class- required, September 1, 2011

By 

Ye.Old.Scholar - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Health Economics and Financing (Hardcover)

I did not like that the pages were so thin that when I highlighted text it showed through, pages are slightly thicker than tissue paper. If you are using this book for a class I recommend that you have or purchase a statistics for business and economics book to go along with it, as it references formulas that are very shallow in depth and require previous knowledge in economics and/or statistics. Not a beginners book, but excellent in explainations of how health care in America works.