Chapter 5: Healthcare

Question 1

Define primary, secondary and tertiary care

Answer 1

• Primary care—First point of consultation for patients (GPs)
• Secondary care—Hospital care {Requires recommendation from primary care}
• Tertiary care—Specialized consultative HC {for in-patients | Requires referral from above 2} (E.g. cancer management)

Question 2

General comment

Answer 2

HC has unlimited demand and a limited supply

Question 3

What are the factors hindering supply in healthcare

Answer 3

Shortages in supply
Inadequate skill mix
Uneven geographical distribution
Budget constraints for public sector

Question 4

What are some patient concerns with managed care?

Answer 4

 Provider networks may restrict access to care
 Providers may resent external parties imposing clinical protocols on them and influencing the way in which they practise medicine
 Managed care may compromise the quality of care provided to patients by encouraging under-serving of patients by providers
 Use of formularies and other Financial-based managed care initiatives may result in the additional cost being transferred from the scheme to he member with no overall cost reduction

Question 5

What can be used to ensure adequate quality of care

Answer 5

 Patient mortality rate
 Specialist referral rate
 Hospital admission rate
 Procedure complication rate
 Chronic medication adherence
 Patient questionnaires