THE IMPACT OF ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION ON THE QUALITY OF HEALTH SERVICES

Author
, professor, Kharkiv, Pushinska, 77

In heading

 Economic theory;

Signed print

 11.09.2015

Issues number

 2015 - № 3 (22)

Page

 14-24

Type of articles

 Scientific article

Code UDK

 330.1:61-021.4

ISSN print

 2411-5584

Abstract

 Problem setting. Nowadays human capital is the main factor of the society modernization. The qualitative care gives security and freedom, provides long active life and creates conditions for effective production.
Recent research and publication analysis.Usually the scientists consider only indicators of clinical quality of health services. But they do not take into account the awareness about it of the patients, and also risks of impact on their decisions of the unscrupulous doctors and the deterioration of public health.
Paper objective is to analyse information asymmetry in the health market, particularly in Ukraine, and its influence on medical and socio-economic quality of medical services.
Paper main body. There are two types of asymmetric information, namely about directly clinical care and about accessibility of treatment and the scale of services (quality of health services in socio-economic terms). The level of the first asymmetry is much higher than that of the second one, mostly because the patient does not have medical education and appropriate qualification characteristics, his experience in treating diseases is limited. Under these conditions, the doctor may consciously stimulate demand on drugs and
treatment because their price increases. Protection of information asymmetry is one of the reasons of socialization of medicine in Europe (especially Scandinavia). However, in Ukraine the pharmaceutical companies and medical personnel use inexperience of patients. Informal payments to doctors, paying for extra and expensive clinical tests, frank bribes for better conveniences or sick leave also contribute to information asymmetry. The reluctance of the part of medical personnel to refuse additional incomes is one of the reasons for sabotage of reforming health care in Ukraine. The heads of medical institutions are faced with another asymmetry of information — about the quality of medical labour. The difficulties of selection of qualified personnel are growing in Ukraine due to lack of their employment contract system, compulsory work appointment of graduates of medical schools, low salary, which entices the physicians to maximize their incomes outside legal rules of conduct. In Ukraine it is very difficult to prove in the court the crime of doctors.
Conclusions of the research. Protecting patients requires improving the legislation and participation of motivated third forces — the insurance companies and civil organizations, including the medical associations. The process of the health system reforming should be very careful proposing expansion of pay-for-service system, because it provokes information asymmetry.

Keywords

 health care asymmetry of information, the quality of health services.

Reviewer

 Shevchenko L. S., Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Kharkiv, Ukraine.

External reviewer

 Tyutyunnikova S. V ., Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv national University, Ukraine.

Article in PDF

 № 3 14-25

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Code DOI

This post is also available in: Ukrainian

14.07.2015