course material

1. Assignment: The Role of Economics in Public Health Policy
Assignment: The Role of Economics in Public Health Policy ON Assignment: The Role of
Economics in Public Health PolicyIn varying degrees, economics is a driving force behind all
public health decisions. Much like the well-known saying, “money talks,” the costs of an
intervention can sometimes overshadow the potential good it can bring to the general
public.To combat the initial shock of an intervention’s “price tag,” economists work
alongside public health professionals to make the costs of an intervention as transparent as
possible. One such way they do this is by conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis. Cost-
effectiveness analyses are based upon the idea that to truly understand the costs of an
intervention, one must first compare these costs to potential health outcomes. This process
is both complex and critical, for just as costs must be accurate, so, too, must health
outcomes be “precise measurements [in terms of] lives saved, infections averted, quality-
adjusted life years, and disability-adjusted life years” (Bhattacharya, 2013, p. 96).
Assignment: The Role of Economics in Public Health PolicyThis week, you explore how
economists assist professionals from multiple disciplines to identify and analyze public
health costs. In your Discussion, you conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the
associated costs and health outcomes of interventions identified in your Scholar-
Practitioner Project. You also submit your Letter to the Editor by Day 7 of this
week.Learning ObjectivesStudents will:Evaluate associated costs and health outcomes of
interventions based on cost-effectiveness analysesWrite letters to the editor advocating
public health issuesLearning ResourcesNote: To access this week’s required library
resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course
Materials section of your Syllabus.REQUIRED READINGSBhattacharya, D. (2013). Public
health policy: Issues, theories, and advocacy. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Chapter 3, “The
Role of Economics: Theories, Modeling, and Evaluation” (pp. 77–98)Haines, T. P., Hill, A.-M.,
Hill, K. D., Brauer, S. G., Hoffman, T., Etherton-Beer, C., & McPhail, S. M. (2013). Cost
effectiveness of patient education for the prevention of falls in hospital: Economic
evaluation from a randomized controlled trial. BMC Medicine, 11, 135.Note: Retrieved from
the Walden Library databases.Micklethwaite, A., Brownson, C. A., O’Toole, M. L., & Kilpatrick,
K. E. (2012). The business case for a diabetes self-management intervention in a community
general hospital. Population Health Management, 15(4), 230–235.Note: Retrieved from the
Walden Library databases.Pierce, D. S., Sperry, J., & Nirula, R. (2011). Cost-effective analysis
of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt versus surgical portacaval shunt for
variceal bleeding in early cirrhosis. The American Surgeon, 77(2), 169–173.Note: Retrieved

2. from the Walden Library databases.Wong, F. K. Y., Chau, J., So, C., Tam, S. K. F., & McGhee, S.
(2012). Cost-effectiveness of a health-social partnership transitional program for post-
discharge medical patients. BMC Health Services Research, 12(1), 479–486.Note: Retrieved
from the Walden Library databases.Wong, J. B., Coates, P. M., Russell, R. M., Dwyer, J. T.,
Schuttinga, J. A., Bowman, B. A., & Peterson, S. A. (2011). Economic analysis of nutrition
interventions for chronic disease prevention: Methods, research, and policy. Nutrition
Reviews, 69(9), 533–549.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.Discussion:
The Economics Behind the Adoption or Rejection of InterventionsThe term economics has
become synonymous with cost analyses, which is understandable given the value we place
on determining the monetary impact, in investment and returns, of a given intervention.—
Bhattacharya (2013, p. 78)Public health interventions must be economically feasible. If
monetary impact(s) are not taken into account, even a well- ed intervention with promising
health outcomes could be rejected.When approaching issues related to monetary impact, it
is important to note that economics does not work in public health the way that it does in
business. This is because businesses are regulated by the nature of supply and demand.
Typically, the more demand there is for a product, the higher the price. If there is less
demand, either the price will likely reduce or the product will be taken off the market. In
public health, this is not the case. The cost of an intervention may or may not increase due
to a higher demand. Likewise, the production or implementation of interventions may not
decrease due to low profit margins. For example, even though pharmaceutical companies
made little to no money producing influenza vaccines, regulatory and governmental bodies
can mandate that these companies continue production for the common good of the general
public.In this Discussion, you conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the
feasibility of interventions, which you identified in your ”Conducting Research” assignment
for your Scholar Practitioner Project. As you approach this Discussion, it is critical to
remember that public health economics is not about making a profit. Rather, it is about the
allocation of budgetary resources as a means to promote long-term savings and positive
health outcomes. As you conduct your cost-effectiveness analysis, ask yourself the following
questions: Assignment: The Role of Economics in Public Health PolicyHow economically
feasible is the intervention?What are the long-term savings of the intervention?How do the
potential health outcomes outweigh the costs of the intervention?To prepare for this
Discussion, conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis on the one current and one alternative
intervention identified in your “Conducting Research” assignment for your Scholar
Practitioner Project. Based on this analysis, consider the costs associated with and health
outcomes of implementing each. Refer to Chapter 3 of your course text to assist you in
conducting your analysis.BY DAY 4Post an explanation that compares the costs associated
with and health outcomes of each intervention. Then, explain the intervention that you
recommend, justifying your ideas with references to your cost-effective analysis. your
response with the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed sources.