{"title":"The Impact of Centralized Procurement on Treatment Patterns for Myocardial Infarction and More Principled Utilization of Coronary Stents.","authors":"Weiyan Jian, Shanshan Huo, Lanyue Zhang, Wuping Zhou","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2366167","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2366167","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reducing the price of expensive medical products through centralized procurement is generally considered an effective way to save public medical resources. Against this background, this paper presents an analysis of the impact of centralized procurement in China by comparing the treatment costs and patterns for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients before and after the introduction of this method of purchasing, with specific reference to the use of coronary stents. We found that, after the implementation of centralized procurement for coronary stents, the total expenditure of AMI cases receiving percutaneous coronary interventions with stent implantation (PCI with stents) dropped by 23.4%. The use rate of PCI with stents decreased by 32.5%, with the most significant decrease being evident in cases in which two stents were used simultaneously (32.9%). Meanwhile, percutaneous coronary interventions with balloon implantation (PCI with balloons) increased by 31.5% and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) increased by 80.3%. Based on these patterns, it can be observed that the use of centralized procurement significantly reduced the profits of the relevant medical manufacturers, forcing them to decrease their marketing investments, weakening their influence on providers, and ultimately resulting in a more principled use of coronary stents. We therefore conclude that, with reference to the data cited, the centralized procurement program led not only to a reduction in procurement prices but also to decreased overuse of these expensive medical products.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 1","pages":"2366167"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141437887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-31Epub Date: 2024-01-29DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2023.2298652
Eriko Sase, Christopher Eddy, Richard J Schuster
{"title":"COVID-19 Deaths in Long-Term Care Facilities in the US: An Urgent Call for Equitable and Integrated Health Systems and an All-Hazards Approach to the Next Crisis.","authors":"Eriko Sase, Christopher Eddy, Richard J Schuster","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2023.2298652","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2023.2298652","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 1","pages":"2298652"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139577183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does Public Financial Management Save Life? Evidence from a Quantitative Review of PFM and Health Outcomes in Sub-Saharan African Countries.","authors":"Yann Tapsoba, Amna Silim, Kingsley Addai Frimpong, Hélène Barroy","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2023.2298190","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2023.2298190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Public financial management (PFM) theory suggests that improvements in the allocation, execution, and monitoring of public funds can result in improved sectoral outcomes, including in health. However, the existing literature on the relationship between PFM quality and health outcomes provides limited empirical documentation and insufficient explanation of the mechanics of that relationship. This paper contributes to the literature by estimating the correlation between PFM quality and health outcomes from a sample of sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005-2018, using a pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator. The analysis uses Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) scores as proxies for PFM quality. The findings indicate that countries with high-quality PFM tended to have the lowest maternal, under-five and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) mortality. Among the standard PFM dimensions, the one associated with the higher correlation with maternal and under-five mortality was \"<i>predictability and control in budget execution</i>.\" Better PFM quality was significantly associated with a drop in maternal and under-five mortality in countries which allocated a higher proportion of their budget to the health sector. In countries allocating a lower proportion of their budget to health, the correlations between PFM quality and the three mortality indicators were not significant. The negative correlations between PFM quality and maternal and under-five mortality were significant only in countries with more effective governance. These findings support an emphasis on strengthening PFM as a means of improving health service provision and health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 1","pages":"2298190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139473124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2025-01-08DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2441533
Obinna Onwujekwe, Uchenna Ezenwaka, Prince Agwu, Chukwudi Nwokolo, Francis Ukwuije, Alexandra J Earle, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Susan Sparkes
{"title":"Assessing Root Causes and Solutions to Address Cross-Programmatic Inefficiencies in a Subnational Health System: A Case Study of Anambra State, Nigeria.","authors":"Obinna Onwujekwe, Uchenna Ezenwaka, Prince Agwu, Chukwudi Nwokolo, Francis Ukwuije, Alexandra J Earle, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Susan Sparkes","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2441533","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2441533","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cross-programmatic inefficiencies are duplications or misalignments that arise from undue fragmentation of health systems by vertical health programs. Identifying and addressing the root causes of cross-programmatic inefficiencies in a health system can ensure more efficient use of resources to make progress toward Universal Health Coverage. This paper examines the root causes of cross-programmatic inefficiencies related to governance and financing in the state health system of Anambra in southeast Nigeria. Data were collected from 38 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions and analyzed thematically. The governance- and finance-related cross-programmatic inefficiencies identified were duplicative and misaligned roles within and between state and federal agencies, functions, and activities within and across health programs; misaligned donor priorities with that of the state; and poor formulation and implementation of the approved annual state health budget. The root causes of governance and financing cross-programmatic inefficiencies included weak policy development, communication, and enforcement; excessive influence of external donors and the federal government; weak accountability mechanisms affecting program coordination and service delivery; and a disharmony between state priorities and objectives with planning, budgeting, and execution of the budget. Addressing the root causes of cross-programmatic inefficiencies has the potential to significantly improve the overall efficiency and performance of the health system to contribute to improved health outcomes in Anambra state. This approach can serve as a model for other states and regions facing similar challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2441533"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2024-11-12DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2397829
Pura Angela Co, Ileana Vîlcu, Denese De Guzman, Eduardo Banzon
{"title":"Staying the Course: Reflections on the Progress and Challenges of the UHC Law in the Philippines.","authors":"Pura Angela Co, Ileana Vîlcu, Denese De Guzman, Eduardo Banzon","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2397829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2024.2397829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Philippine Universal Health Care (UHC) law enacted in 2019 aimed to address entrenched health system challenges to achieving equitable access to quality health care. This commentary discusses the progress in its implementation to meet its objectives. Some of these health system challenges include overlapping financing roles; weak incentives for integrating health services across local government units (LGUs), the inclusion of the private sector in networks of care, and fragmented primary health care services. The UHC law introduced reforms to transform the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) into a strategic purchaser of health services, expand population coverage, and prioritize comprehensive outpatient and primary care services. Furthermore, the law mandated bolstering subnational health financing through a Special Health Fund (SHF) intended to encourage LGUs to integrate into provincial or city health systems. Pilots of the SHF highlighted opportunities and challenges in pooling, prioritizing, and redistributing resources if local health systems are capacitated. Despite facing implementation challenges, including changing priorities, politics, and lack of resources, the Philippines' experience emphasizes the importance of adaptive leadership, sustained commitment, and effective stakeholder engagement to ensure that these health financing reforms remain objective-oriented. Maximizing the UHC law's potential going forward requires addressing ongoing challenges: sustained resource generation, ensuring effective coverage of the poor, and capacitating local health systems. The journey of the Philippines toward UHC offers valuable insights for global health reformers, underscoring the need for adaptive approaches and active political engagement to sustain and achieve progress toward universal and equitable health care access.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2397829"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2024-12-12DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2427715
Susan P Sparkes, Alexandra J Earle, Joseph Kutzin
{"title":"Cross-Programmatic Efficiency: The System is Greater Than the Sum of Its Programs.","authors":"Susan P Sparkes, Alexandra J Earle, Joseph Kutzin","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2427715","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2427715","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health programs play important roles in health systems, contributing to the development of best practices, guidelines, awareness, and advocacy for specific services, populations, or conditions. However, a person's health is not defined by single conditions or interventions and therefore cannot be fully catered to by only one program. Additionally, the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) index has stagnated in recent years, even for programmatic outcomes heavily supported by external assistance, raising concerns about the efficiency and sustainability of many programs and their objectives. The World Health Organization's cross-programmatic efficiency analysis (CPEA) approach provides a way to assess programs with a system-wide perspective. CPEA is an approach for analyzing programs based on health system functions and considers how the entire system, including programs, aligns to meet objectives. It focuses on identifying areas of duplication or misalignment as targets for reforms. This policy report summarizes findings from CPEA analyses conducted by six countries (Bhutan, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania) between 2017 and 2021. The cases demonstrate the extent and areas of duplication across programs, including information systems, health workforce, and supply chains. Duplications and misalignments in the generation of human and physical resources (subsequently referred to as \"inputs\") are often driven by how health programs are financed and governed. These inefficiencies directly impact how people receive health services. Comparing CPEA findings from multiple countries demonstrates that using the whole health system as the unit of analysis is critical when seeking to increase system efficiency and align available resources to meet UHC objectives.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2427715"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142815083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2024-11-12DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2422105
Martin Sabignoso, Susan P Sparkes, Alexandra J Earle
{"title":"Using a Small Lever to Achieve Big Outcomes in a Devolved Health System: 20 Years of Programa Sumar in Argentina.","authors":"Martin Sabignoso, Susan P Sparkes, Alexandra J Earle","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2422105","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2422105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Incremental health system transformations towards universal health coverage run the risk of losing sight of the overarching objectives and can lose momentum in the implementation process. Argentina's Programa Sumar is a program born out of response to both urgent and long-standing health challenges. Starting with a relatively small share of the government's budget for health, the Program over the last 20 years has gradually expanded in pursuit of increasing access to quality health care, fostering coherence through policy alignment and coordination in a highly decentralized system, and achieving its performance objectives through conditional transfers linked to results. This commentary reflects on how Programa Sumar created and has sustained its approach to health system transformation and provides four lessons: 1) distribute leadership across levels of government to enhance autonomy, collaboration, and implementation; 2) expand gradually, with a clear long-term vision - Programa Sumar took an incremental approach to expansion in terms of regions, populations, services, and management capacities; 3) ensure evolution through solid and flexible design - the Program needed both the flexibility to adapt strategies to various challenges and a constancy of purpose; and 4) compromise to make progress. The Argentine experience with Programa Sumar shows that strengthening a scheme does not have to mean adopting a fragmented approach. Instead, by implementing Programa Sumar thoughtfully and collaboratively, the reform has developed a solid foundation with the flexibility to adapt across geographies and time, creating the necessary conditions for expansion to and greater coherence across the entire system.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2422105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Data Integration of Health Financing Systems as a Critical Enabler for Objective-Oriented Health System Reform: A Scoping Review from India.","authors":"Grace Achungura, Arif Raza, Vijendra Katre, Jaidev Singh Anand, Nirmala Ravishankar, Rathan Kelkar","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2401190","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2401190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health financing fragmentation poses a challenge to reforms intended to address system-wide objectives vis-à-vis universal health coverage (UHC). India's experience with publicly subsidized health insurance schemes (PSHIs), such as Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and its state adaptations, testify to the challenges inherent in effecting objective-oriented health systems reforms, particularly owing to wide variation in programmatic and operational design. Recent efforts to defragment PSHIs under the aegis of a new government initiative called Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) using, inter alia, a unified information and communication technology (ICT) interface provide important policy lessons. This paper presents a theory of change for the role that ICT systems can play in promoting the objectives of UHC and highlights the early effects of ICT reforms in India on UHC. Holistic and defragmented ICT systems have a positive effect on the processes and operations of government health programs, according to the literature reviewed. Streamlined ICT systems promote equity through the introduction of portability modules, which increase access to services and facilitate stronger transparency and accountability measures by using big data and machine learning for fraud detection. Although reliability issues persist on certain fronts, India's experience with homegrown, incremental reforms to defragment ICT systems for health financing have proven of paramount importance for progressing toward UHC.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2401190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2024-12-09DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2368051
Hélène Barroy, Pierre Yameogo, Mark Blecher, Martin Sabignoso, Moritz Piatti, Joseph Kutzin
{"title":"Public Financial Management: A Pathway to Universal Health Coverage in Low-and-Middle Income Countries.","authors":"Hélène Barroy, Pierre Yameogo, Mark Blecher, Martin Sabignoso, Moritz Piatti, Joseph Kutzin","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2368051","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2368051","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2368051"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142803737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health systems and reformPub Date : 2024-12-18Epub Date: 2024-12-09DOI: 10.1080/23288604.2024.2432043
Peter Binyaruka, John Maiba, Dastan Mshana, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Gemini Mtei
{"title":"Does Provider Autonomy Work Well in Tanzania? Perspectives of Primary Care Facilities on Budget Execution under Direct Facility Financing and Factors Affecting Provider Autonomy in Singida Region.","authors":"Peter Binyaruka, John Maiba, Dastan Mshana, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Gemini Mtei","doi":"10.1080/23288604.2024.2432043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2024.2432043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primary care facilities' autonomy and the factors that influence it are understudied. Direct facility financing (DFF) is gaining popularity in low- and middle-income countries as a modality to finance primary care facilities. Tanzania has introduced DFF with the objectives of streamlining resource allocation, fostering fiscal decentralization, and granting autonomy to health facilities for enhanced service readiness and responsiveness. This study aims to contribute evidence on primary care facilities' autonomy to execute DFF funds and the factors influencing this autonomy.Qualitative interviews and group discussions were conducted with health workers, managers, and community representatives from two councils to understand their perceptions of the autonomy of primary care facilities under DFF and remaining bottlenecks to effective budget execution. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis to explore factors that influence facility autonomy to execute DFF funds.Primary care facilities are well informed on financial management and have adequate autonomy to execute DFF funds. However, several factors constrain their autonomy, including delays in funds disbursement, complex procurement and approval processes, rigid spending caps, restrictions on reallocations, and weaknesses in financial management capacity.DFF is a promising modality for health financing that supports health system goals. However, various challenges continue to hinder the autonomy of frontline service providers to fully execute DFF funds. To improve DFF budget execution, policy makers in Tanzania and elsewhere should consider reforms to better align public financial management and health financing.</p>","PeriodicalId":73218,"journal":{"name":"Health systems and reform","volume":"10 3","pages":"2432043"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142803734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}