309.621.11 HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE: POLICY ANALYSIS AND ECONOMICS

Acquaints health professionals with the general principles of labor economics and the analytical tools to examine health workforce policy in an era of health reform. Focuses on the role of consumers/patients, estimating the supply of health care professionals, modeling the demand for patient care, addressing geographic imbalances in access to health care and services, and evaluating the productivity of health care providers. Prompts students to think like decision-makers and propose policy solutions to respond to real-world challenges that limit patient access to physicians and other health providers. Lectures stress the application of concepts, examine workforce issues within all health labor markets, and offer contemporary insights about policy and economic options to ease the shortage of providers and improve the quality of health care.