TY - JOUR

T1 - Will the Need-Based Planning of Health Human Resources Currently Undertaken in Several Countries Lead to Excess Supply and Inefficiency? A Comment on Basu and Pak

AU - Birch, S.

AU - Tomblin Murphy, G.

AU - MacKenzie, A.

AU - Whittaker, W.

AU - Mason, T.

PY - 2016/6/13

Y1 - 2016/6/13

N2 - Basu and Pak (2014) argue that need-based workforce planning models would not maximize social welfare, and use of need-based models would result in inefficiency. They propose that planning be based on service utilization to incorporate preferences or other socioeconomic factors. We show that the analysis is based on inappropriate considerations of the nature of healthcare demand, a misrepresentation of need-based approaches and misunderstanding publicly funded healthcare system objectives. We explain how current levels of utilization emerge from workload and income interests of providers that underlie utilization-based models and are incompatible with public goals of maximizing health gains.

AB - Basu and Pak (2014) argue that need-based workforce planning models would not maximize social welfare, and use of need-based models would result in inefficiency. They propose that planning be based on service utilization to incorporate preferences or other socioeconomic factors. We show that the analysis is based on inappropriate considerations of the nature of healthcare demand, a misrepresentation of need-based approaches and misunderstanding publicly funded healthcare system objectives. We explain how current levels of utilization emerge from workload and income interests of providers that underlie utilization-based models and are incompatible with public goals of maximizing health gains.

U2 - 10.1002/hec.3370

DO - 10.1002/hec.3370

M3 - Journal article

VL - 26

SP - 818

EP - 821

JO - Health Economics

JF - Health Economics

SN - 1057-9230

IS - 6

ER -