Area Health Economics

Currently in Germany, expenditures of the healthcare system exceed one billion euros per day. The financial stability of the system is highly vulnerable from the one side to the developments in health and the demographics of the population such as aging, migration and epidemics, and on the other side, to the technological change and therapeutic advances that lead to increasing expenses in medicine. The economic approach of the healthcare system has become a necessity. Despite the long history of Economics, Health Economics can be considered as a relatively young discipline. When approaching health and healthcare from an economic perspective, one discovers distinctive characteristics and the complications that are specific to the area. Health economists consider health as a production- and consumption good, inform healthcare-related decision-making and deal with an effective organization of the market for healthcare services and the functions of its key players such as hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical- and insurance companies. The Area Health Economics brings together the knowledge from several disciplines: micro- and macro-economics, institutional economics, distribution theory, labor economics, business administration and econometrics. The Area provides the students with knowledge and skills to perform theoretical and applied economic analysis of health and healthcare. These include the application of microeconomic tools in the analysis of the market for health and healthcare services, for example to the demand for healthcare influenced by asymmetric information and the behavior of the key players. The theory of institutional economics provides insights into institutions of the social insurance and understanding of advantages and disadvantages of different social insurance systems, distributive justice and politico-economic implications. The elective part of the Area Health Economics offers a variety of related modules. These include lectures on the management of the healthcare providers which covers the specific organization of the German healthcare system and approaches for the management within its key players. The students also learn about the organization of healthcare system in different countries which brings a broader view on the healthcare-related political implications.

Health economics is an interdisciplinary field which combines the knowledge of economics, medicine, law, mathematics, statistics and social science. It is a fast growing research field with increasing relevance in healthcare policy. The Area Health Economics offers a broad spectrum of lectures and seminars, which combine the theoretical background and practical applications in the field. During the program, the students consider real-world examples and receive training in conducting state-of-the-art health services research, quality of life studies, measuring patient preferences and performing different types of cost-effectiveness analyses. The program offers training in model programming and empirical analyses using suitable software. Additionally, the students gain important practical insights from the lectures given by guest speakers who are experts in their respected field. There the students will have an opportunity to communicate with and ask questions to the practitioners from the German sickness funds, hospitals, the German Medical Association and so on. The main educational goal of the Area Health Economics is to prepare the students for a successful career in the healthcare sector by equipping them with thorough theoretical background and excellent methodological, technical and practical skills.

The Area Health Economics is designed for the students who intend to develop their career in the healthcare and public health system. This program suits the students who are keen to learn applications of the economic theory in healthcare and gain the methodological and practical skills to conduct state-of-the-art health economic studies. Prospective students are encouraged to have interests in economics, health, and healthcare sector and possess basic analytical skills.

Healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide. In Germany, with currently around 6 million employees, the healthcare system employs more people than the automotive-, the steel-, the machine-building and the electro-technical industries combined. The importance of this sector will further increase due to the factors like demographical changes and medico-technical progress. The graduates of the Area Health Economics have broad career perspectives and can apply their skills in different healthcare-related institutions including hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, producers of medical devices, health insurance funds, public organizations and health economic consulting.