Healthcare stakeholders and their relationships
Photo: HCHE
As part of the research program, cause-and-effect relationships are examined in various settings within and across the three levels (payer level, provider level, and patient level), for example, in the context of cooperation among providers, in the doctor-patient relationship, or in response to government regulation:
The doctoral students will participate in the training program and write a dissertation related to one of the seven research areas:
Service Providers Response to Incentives from Payers: Insurance companies and health insurance plans negotiate contracts with service providers, thereby creating incentives regarding the manner in which services are provided. This has an impact on the quality of the services they provide.
Patients Quality-Related Preferences: Patients preferences have a major influence on their choice of healthcare provider. As a result, they also influence the quality of the services provided.
Insured Individuals Response to Differences in Quality among Health Insurers: Insured individuals choose a health insurer, for example, a statutory health insurance plan, and thereby enter into a specific contractual and legal framework that influences the quality of care.
Behavior of Service Providers: The organization of service delivery itself is carried out by the service providers (e.g., by organizing teams to perform the services within the service provider or through collaborations with other service providers) and is crucial to the quality of care.
The Impact of Patient Characteristics on the Quality of Health Care: Through their individual preferences, health literacy, and health-conscious behavior, patients influence when and how they use the health care system and which services they receive. This, in turn, affects the quality of care.
Health Insurers Investments in the Quality of Health Care: In competitive, insurance-based systems, such as the one in Germany, health insurers influence the quality of care through strategic (investment) decisions.
New Approaches to Defining and Measuring Quality in Health Care: This research focus addresses the refinement of existing concepts and metrics for health care quality, as well as the development of new ones.