Question – Apply analytical economics skills to problems of resource allocation in a health care system.

Western Sydney University (WSU) –  Apply analytical economics skills to problems of resource allocation in a health care system.

 *Rationale
This assessment allows you to apply analytical economics skills to problems of resource allocation in a health care system. You will gain an understanding of real-world identification of short comings, limitations and what works well, and questioning of how things are done from an economic perspective. Deeper learning also includes the ability to extrapolate, extend and apply principles and theory based on the evidence. This is shown in the ability to make recommendations for the future. Students have to examine recent national and international literature. Quality of writing skills is also being assessed to help improve competency in this area.

Task
NSW Ministry of Health state plan released in 2014, lists “enabling eHealth” as one of the key strategies to address health care delivery. Your assignment is to write a report that reviews and critically evaluates the consequences of digitalising healthcare NSW Health and that reflects the health care decision-making process based on economic evaluation, including alternative decision modelling techniques and methods of analysis, and valuation tools for eliciting utility values.

You will write a report to be structured in the following way:
♣ Cover Page
♣ Table of Contents
♣ Executive Summary (250 words maximum): This section provides a short summary of the main points being presented in the report. This section does not add to the total word count of the assignment.
♣ Introduction (approximately 200 words): This section (one paragraph) provides a context for the report by introducing the topic and purpose of the report (i.e. reviewing and analysing NSW Ministry of Health state plan as it relates to digitalising health care), briefly introducing your argument (e.g. the pressures on NSW Health’s public sector, health care reforms and how information and communications technology will address those pressures or enable person-centred health and wellbeing)
♣ eHealth priorities/strategic themes (approximately 300 words): In this section you are required to provide a critical analysis of the NSW Health plan in relation enabling eHealth as one of the key strategies to address for health care delivery in NSW.\ and provide a summary of findings. Make sure to include the important economic concepts learnt in the course so far. It is important to write in a paragraph format, avoiding the use of bullet points to provide data. Feel free to include graphs or tables if you feel this will help convey your message within the word limit. Do not forget to include the sources you used to gather the information.
♣ Discussion of Findings (approximately 300 words): In this section you will analyse your findings based on the following questions: Recommendations (approximately 200 words). Based on the above, if you were a consultant working on the digitalisation of healthcare economy for eHealth NSW what general recommendations would you make for the organisation to implement digital strategies , whether mobile applications, cloud, electronic health records (EHRs) or wearables in order to achieve the NSW Health Plan? You must address the costs, benefits, and efficiencies of enabling and delivering eHealth solutions and how digital health can contribute to the long-term sustainability of the health care system. Use the academic literature to support your recommendations.

o Determining the composition of output. Should NSW government be devoting more resources on expansion of a comprehensive digital infrastructure to support healthcare and less to other industries?

o Allocating and organising the limited productive resources available. How to produce digital infrastructure to support healthcare and should NSW government produce it by providing more digital hospitals or more digital community-based health services?

o Supply needs in the future. How much should be consumed now and how much should be put aside to supply needs in the future?

o Determining Allocation. For which health services to produce these digital technologies and who gets these goods and services and who misses out?

♣ References: List of references used in the report, including at least 10 academic references .