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Healthcare

Last Updated: January 2010

Sector structure/Market size

The healthcare industry in the country, which comprises hospital and allied sectors, is projected to grow 23per cent per annum to touch US$ 77 billion by 2012 from the current estimated size of US$ 35 billion,according to a Yes Bank and ASSOCHAM report.

The sector has registered a growth of 9.3 per cent between 2000-2009, comparable to the sectoral growthrate of other emerging economies such as China, Brazil and Mexico. According to the report, the growth inthe sector would be driven by healthcare facilities, both private and public sector, medical diagnostic andpathlabs and the medical insurance sector.

Healthcare facilities, inclusive of public and private hospitals, the core sector, around which the healthcaresector is centered, would continue to contribute over 70 per cent of the total sector and touch a figure of US$54.7 billion by 2012.

Adds a FICCI-Ernst and Young report, India needs an investment of US$ 14.4 billion in the healthcare sectorby 2025, to increase its bed density to at least two per thousand population.

According to a latest report by McKinsey, driven by strong local demand, Indian healthcare market isexpected to continue growing close to previously projected rates of 10 to 12 per cent. With averagehousehold consumption expected to increase by more than seven per cent per annum, the annualhealthcare expenditure is projected to grow at 10 per cent and also the number of insured is likely to jumpfrom 100 million to 220 million.

Health Insurance

Currently only 10 per cent of the Indian population has health insurance, which means that there istremendous scope for growth in this area.

According to the Yes bank and Assocham report, the medical insurance sector would account for US$3billion in the next three years, up from the estimated current size of over US$1 billion.

In 2008-09, health insurance has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the non-life insuranceindustry with 30 per cent growth.

Health insurance premium collections touched US$ 1.45 billion in 2008-09 compared with US$ 1.12 billion inthe previous year, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority said in its annual report for 2008-09.

Investments in Healthcare

The sector has been attracting huge investments from domestic players as well as financial investors andprivate equity (PE) firms. Funds such as ICICI Ventures, IFC, Ashmore and Apax Partners invested aboutUS$ 450 million in the first six months of 2008-09 compared with US$ 125 million in the same period a yearago, according to an analysis carried out by Feedback Ventures. Feedback Ventures expects PE funds toinvest at least US$ 1 billion in the healthcare sector in the next five years.

According to a Venture Intelligence study, 12 per cent of the US$ 77 million venture capital investments inthe July-September 2009 quarter were in the healthcare sector.

As part of its Healthymagination initiative, GE will spend US$ 3 billion over the next six years on research


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and development, provide US$ 2 billion of financing over the next six years to drive healthcare informationtechnology and health in rural and underserved areas, and invest US$ 1 billion in partnerships, content andservices.

The government, along with participation from the private sector, is planning to invest US$ 1 billion to US$ 2billion in an effort to make India one of the top five global pharmaceutical innovation hubs by 2020.

The Ajay Piramal Group-owned private equity (PE) firm, India Venture Advisors, will launch its second US$150 million healthcare fund next year.

Leading international clinic chain Asklepios International is gearing up for a foray into the Indian healthcaremarket. As part of the 2.3 billion euro groups strategy to enter the sub-continent, Asklepios is mulling thelaunch of a US$ 100 to US$ 200 million fund.

Gulf-based healthcare group Dr Moopen is investing over US$ 200 million for setting up hospitals and eye-care centres across India.

Healthcare major, Fortis Hospitals plans to invest US$ 55 million, to expand its facilities pan-India.

HealthcareLast Updated: January 2010

Medical Tourism

In 2007, India treated 450,000 foreign patients ranking it second in medical tourism.

According to a study by McKinsey and the CII, medical tourism in India could become a US$ 2 billionindustry by 2012 (from US$ 350 million in 2006). Credit Suisse estimates medical tourism to begrowing at between 25-30 per cent annually.

The key selling points of the medical tourism industry are its cost effectiveness and its combinationwith the attractions of tourism. Treatment cost is lowest in India 20 per cent of the average costincurred in the US, Singapore, Thailand and South Africa.

Besides world class medical facilities, India is also trying to promote its traditional medicine such asayurveda.

Areas of Opportunity

The fast growth in the Indian healthcare sector has created various pockets of opportunities forinvestors. A recent FICCI-Ernst and Young report highlights several such areas within the healthcaresector.

Medical infrastructure forms the largest portion of the healthcare pie. Beds in excess of onemillion need to be added to reach a ratio of 1.85 per thousand at an investment of US$ 77.9billion.

The medical equipment industry is around US$ 2.17 billion and is growing at 15 per cent peryear. It is estimated to reach US$ 4.97 billion by 2012.

The medical textiles industry is projected to double to reach US$ 753 million by 2012.

Clinical trials have the potential to become a US$ 1 billion industry by 2010 and the healthservices outsourcing sector has the potential to grow to US$ 7.4 billion by 2012, from US$3.7 billion in 2006.


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Notwithstanding the current economic slowdown, the US$ 2.26 billion Indian wellness servicesmarket is expected to grow at about 30-35 per cent for the next five years on the back of risingconsumerism, globalisation and changing lifestyles, according to a FICCI-Ernst and Young study.

Government Initiative

The Government launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005. It aims to providequality healthcare for all and increase the expenditure on healthcare from 0.9 per cent of GDP to 2-3per cent of GDP by 2012.

During the 2009 interim budget, the government allocated US$ 2.42 billion for NRHM.

The Tamil Nadu government has allocated US$ 698.16 million for health and family care for the year2009-10, up from US$ 564.34 million a year ago. The increased budget includes creating a megablood bankAsias largestin Chennai and upgrading several hospitals, besides launching a newinsurance scheme.

The government has announced a US$ 63.2 million initiative to promote domestic manufacture ofmedical devices such as stents, catheters, heart valves and orthopaedic implants that will lead to

lower prices of these critical equipment.

Healthcare

Spotlight...

You get what you pay for

As the pressure to control health spending increases, payers,governments, and providers are compelled to scrutinize thequality and amount of care they'll be able to deliver in the future.Health leaders around the world see the health payment systemas one of the best tools in managing this challenge and achievingsustainability. However, with less than 40% of those sameleaders ranking their existing payment system as good, every

country has room to improve and can benefit from shared bestpractices. SeeYou get what you pay for.
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/you-get-what-you-pay-for.jhtmlhttp://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/you-get-what-you-pay-for.jhtmlhttp://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/you-get-what-you-pay-for.jhtmlhttp://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/you-get-what-you-pay-for.jhtml


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In HealthCast 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers looks at solutionsand responses from around the world to the globalisation andindustry wide convergence of healthcare. What insights, bestpractices and policy lessons can be learned from experiences in

various countries to create a globally sustainable health system?Who, or what, is driving the solutions? More

Rising costs, expanding market demand, and increasing customer dissatisfaction willcharacterise healthcare in this decade and help redefine the roles of patients, providersand payors. Simply put, healthcare organisations face a growing imbalance of supply anddemand. On the demand side is a large population of aging patients in deterioratinghealth who demand more services, pharmaceuticals, and medical breakthroughs. Thesupply side, however, is hampered by a shrinking pool of investment capital, a shortageof willing caregivers, and aging physical plants straining under the current volume of

patients.

Clearly, demand is driving the system and flipping the traditional paradigm in whichmany health systems attempted to control costs by controlling supply. Under theseconditions, healthcare providers must meet the challenge of effectively managing patientdemand while payors must drive patients to the most cost-effective providers. Thehealthcare organisations that prosper in this environment will be those that recognise thesupply/demand imbalance and respond with flexible and effective processes fordelivering superior customer service.

How PricewaterhouseCoopers can help you

Leading healthcare providers, payors, and health sciences organisations turn toPricewaterhouseCoopers for business insights and solutions. PwC's range of capabilitiesand experience means that we can provide integrated solutions that support the strategicobjectives of your entire organisation. Our global network of healthcare industryprofessionals provide assurance, tax, and business advisory services that are grounded ina highly evolved understanding of the entire healthcare system and the dynamics thatdrive it. On every project, we use our advanced network of resources to provide powerfulstrategies that help you succeed in a competitive and changing marketplace.

Health care industry

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Please helpimprove this article by expanding it. Further information might befound on the talk page. (June 2007)
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The health care industry orhealth profession treats patients who are injured, sick,disabled, or infirm. The delivery of modern health care depends on an expandinginterdisciplinary team of trained professionals.[1][2]

For purposes of finance and management, the healthcare industry is typically divided into

several groups and sectors. The Global Industry Classification Standardand the IndustryClassification Benchmarkdivide the industry into two main groups: (1) health careequipment & services and (2) pharmaceuticals, biotechnology & related life sciences.Health care equipment and services comprise companies that provide medical equipment,medical supplies, and health care, such as hospitals, home health care providers, andnursing homes. The second industry group comprises sectors companies that producebiotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and miscellaneous scientific services.[3]

Contents

[hide]

1 Providers and professionals 2 Delivery of services 3 Medical tourism 4 History

o 4.1 Growth

o 4.2 Transformation

5 See also 6 References

o 6.1 Notes

7 Further reading

[edit] Providers and professionals

Main article: Health care provider

A health care provider or health professional is an organization or person who deliversproper health care in a systematic way professionally to any individual in need of health

care services.

Today the health care industry is considered as one of the largest industry throughout theworld. And this health care industry includes thousands and thousands of hospitals,institutions which will provide primary, secondary & tertiary level of care. To deliver thiscare, these health care industries require health care workers, and among these health careworkers most of them will be nurses busy in providing care to each & every patient in allaspect. And it has been seen that, throughout the decades the health care workers i.e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinary_teamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professionalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-PrincetonDef-0%23cite_note-PrincetonDef-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-PrincetonDef-0%23cite_note-PrincetonDef-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-USDL-1%23cite_note-USDL-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Industry_Classification_Standardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Industry_Classification_Standardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-YahooFin-2%23cite_note-YahooFin-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-YahooFin-2%23cite_note-YahooFin-2http://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Providers_and_professionals%23Providers_and_professionalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Providers_and_professionals%23Providers_and_professionalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Providers_and_professionals%23Providers_and_professionalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Delivery_of_services%23Delivery_of_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Delivery_of_services%23Delivery_of_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Delivery_of_services%23Delivery_of_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Medical_tourism%23Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Medical_tourism%23Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Medical_tourism%23Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Growth%23Growthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Growth%23Growthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Growth%23Growthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Transformation%23Transformationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Transformation%23Transformationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Transformation%23Transformationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_providerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinary_teamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professionalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-PrincetonDef-0%23cite_note-PrincetonDef-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-USDL-1%23cite_note-USDL-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Industry_Classification_Standardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-YahooFin-2%23cite_note-YahooFin-2http://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Providers_and_professionals%23Providers_and_professionalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Delivery_of_services%23Delivery_of_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Medical_tourism%23Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Growth%23Growthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Transformation%23Transformationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_provider


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nurses have manually adjusted hospital equipments and have provided care to thepatients. Manually adjusting the hospital equipments and repetitive manual handlinghuman loads is a physically challenging job and it often causes work relatedmusculoskeletal disorders or other injuries.

[edit] Delivery of services

This section needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by addingreliable references. Unsourced material may bechallengedand removed. (June 2007)

The health care industry includes the delivery of health services by health care providers.Usually such services are paid for by the patient or by the patient's insurance company;although they may be government-financed (such as the National Health Servicein theUnited Kingdom) or delivered by charitiesorvolunteers, particularly in poorer countries.The structure of health care charges can also vary dramatically among countries. For

instance, unlike the United States, Chinese hospital charges tend toward 50% for drugs,another major percentage for equipment, and a small percentage for health careprofessional fees.[4]

There are many ways of providing health care in the modern world. The most commonway is face-to-face delivery, where care provider and patient see each other 'in the flesh'.This is what occurs in general medicine in most countries. However, health care is notalways face-to-face; with modern telecommunications technology, in absentia health careis becoming more common. This could be when practitioner and patient communicateover the phone,video conferencing, the internet, email,text messages, or any other formof non-face-to-face communication.

[edit] Medical tourism

Main article: Medical tourism

Medical tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global health care) is aterm initially coined by travel agencies and the mass mediato describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtainhealth care.

Such services typically include elective procedures as well as complex specialized

surgeriessuch as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, andcosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry,alternative treatments, convalescent care and even burial services are available. As apractical matter, providers and customers commonly use informal channels ofcommunication-connection-contract, and in such cases this tends to mean less regulatoryor legal oversight to assure quality and less formal recourse to reimbursement or redress,if needed.
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Over 50 countries have identified medical tourism as a national industry.[5] However,accreditation and other measures of quality vary widely across the globe, and there arerisks and ethical issues that make this method of accessing medical care controversial.Also, some destinations may become hazardous or even dangerous for medical tourists tocontemplate.

[edit] History

[edit] Growth

The health care industry is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing industries.[6]

Consuming over 10 percent ofgross domestic productof most developed nations, healthcare can form an enormous part of a country's economy. In 2003, health care costs paid tohospitals, physicians,nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories,pharmacies,medical devicemanufacturers and other components of the health care system, consumed 15.3 percent[7]

of the GDP of the United States, the largest of any country in the world. For United

States, the health share of gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to hold steady in2006 before resuming its historical upward trend, reaching 19.6 percent of GDP by 2016.[8] In 2001, for the OECD countries the average was 8.4 percent [9] with the United States(13.9%), Switzerland(10.9%), and Germany(10.7%) being the top three.

US health care expenditures totaled US$10.8 quadrillion in 2006.[10] According to HealthAffairs, USD$7,498 will be spent on every woman, man and child in the United States in2007, 20 percent of all spending. Costs are projected to increase to $12,782 by 2016.[11]

[edit] Transformation

China has implemented a long-term transformation of its health care industry, beginningin the 1980's. Over the first twenty-five years of this transformation, governmentcontributions to health care expenditures have dropped from 36% to 15%, with theburden of managing this decrease falling largely on patients. Also over this period, asmall proportion of state-owned hospitals have been privatized. As an incentive toprivatization, foreign investment in hospitals up to 70% ownership has beenencouraged.[4]

[edit] See also

Health care Health sciences Medical tourism Health economics Medicine Philosophy of Healthcare

[edit] References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4%23cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4%23cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accreditationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-5%23cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_producthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_producthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_homehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_diagnosishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_devicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-6%23cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GDPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-7%23cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-8%23cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-9%23cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-10%23cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-10%23cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-GENENG15June2007-3%23cite_note-GENENG15June2007-3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_Healthcarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_Healthcarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4%23cite_note-Gahlinger2008-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accreditationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-5%23cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_producthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_homehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_diagnosishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_devicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-6%23cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GDPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-7%23cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-8%23cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-9%23cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-10%23cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industry#cite_note-GENENG15June2007-3%23cite_note-GENENG15June2007-3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_scienceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_Healthcarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care_industry&action=edit&section=8


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[edit] Notes

1. Princeton University. (2007). health profession. Retrieved June 17, 2007, fromhttp://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=health%20profession

2. United States Department of Labor. (2007, February 27). Health Care Industry

Information. Retrieved June 17, 2007, fromhttp://www.doleta.gov/BRG/Indprof/Health.cfm

3. [[1] "Yahoo Industry Browser - Healthcare Sector - Industry List"]. [2].4. ^ ab Robert Yuan (2007-06-15). "China Cultivates Its Healthcare Industry".Genetic

Engineering & Biotechnology News (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.): pp. 4951.http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=2165. Retrieved 2008-07-07."(subtitle) The Risks and Opportunities in a Society Undergoing Explosive Change"

5. Gahlinger, PM. The Medical Tourism Travel Guide: Your Complete Reference to Top-Quality, Low-Cost Dental, Cosmetic, Medical Care & Surgery Overseas. Sunrise RiverPress, 2008

6. From the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation

Health care

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation,searchFor The Office episode, see Health Care (The Office).

Surgery one of the most invasive, difficult, and expensive procedures in medicine.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movementis a well-known internationalrelief movement.

Health care, orhealthcare, is the treatment and management of illness, and thepreservation ofhealth through services offered by the medical, dental, complementary
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andalternative medicine, pharmaceutical, clinical sciences (in vitro diagnostics),nursing,andallied health professions. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed topromote health, including preventive,curativeandpalliativeinterventions, whetherdirected to individuals or to populations.[1] The definition of health care is continuouslyevolving and varies significantly between different cultures.[2]

Before the term health care became popular, English-speakers referred to medicine or tothe health sectorand spoke of the treatment and prevention ofillness and disease. Thesocial and political issue ofaccess to healthcare in the UShas led to public debate andconfusing use of terms such as "health care" (medical management of illness or disease),health insurance(reimbursement of health care costs), and thepublic health (thecollective state and range of health in a population).

Contents

[hide]

1 Health-care industry 2 Health Care reforms in the United States 3 Research

o 3.1 World Health Organization

4 Economics 5 Systems 6 Politics 7 Health care by country 8 See also 9 Notes

10 External links

[edit] Health-care industry

Main article: Health care industry

The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of trainedprofessionalscoming together as an interdisciplinary team.[3][4]

The health-care industryincorporates several sectors that are dedicated to providingservices and products dedicated to improving the health of individuals. According tomarket classifications of industry such as the Global Industry Classification Standard andthe Industry Classification Benchmarkthe health-care industry includes health careequipment & services and pharmaceuticals, biotechnology & life sciences. The particularsectors associated with these groups are: biotechnology, diagnostic substances, drugdelivery, drug manufacturers, hospitals, medical equipment and instruments, diagnosticlaboratories, nursing homes, providers of health care plans and home health care.[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceuticalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceuticalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palliative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palliative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palliative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-0%23cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-1%23cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_healthcare_reformhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_healthcare_reformhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_healthcare_reformhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health-care_industry%23Health-care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health-care_industry%23Health-care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health-care_industry%23Health-care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_States%23Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_States%23Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_States%23Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Research%23Researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Research%23Researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Research%23Researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#World_Health_Organization%23World_Health_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#World_Health_Organization%23World_Health_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#World_Health_Organization%23World_Health_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics%23Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics%23Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics%23Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Systems%23Systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Systems%23Systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Systems%23Systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_care_by_country%23Health_care_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_care_by_country%23Health_care_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_care_by_country%23Health_care_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professionalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professionalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinary_teamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-PrincetonDef-2%23cite_note-PrincetonDef-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-USDL-3%23cite_note-USDL-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Industry_Classification_Standardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-YahooFin-4%23cite_note-YahooFin-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceuticalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_health_professionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palliative_carehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-0%23cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-1%23cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_healthcare_reformhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_healthhttp://toggletoc%28%29/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health-care_industry%23Health-care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_States%23Health_Care_reforms_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Research%23Researchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#World_Health_Organization%23World_Health_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics%23Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Systems%23Systemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Health_care_by_country%23Health_care_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Notes%23Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Health_care&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professionalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinary_teamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-PrincetonDef-2%23cite_note-PrincetonDef-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-USDL-3%23cite_note-USDL-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Industry_Classification_Standardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_Classification_Benchmarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#cite_note-YahooFin-4%23cite_note-YahooFin-4


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According to government classifications of Industry, which are mostly based on theUnited Nations system, the International Standard Industrial Classification, health caregenerally consists of hospital activities, medical and dental practice activities, and otherhuman health activities. The last class consists of all activities for human health notperformed by hospitals or by medical doctors or dentists. This involves activities of, or

under the supervision of, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, scientific or diagnosticlaboratiories, pathology clinics, ambulance, nursing home, or other para-medicalpractitioners in the field of optometry, hydrotherapy, medical massage, music therapy,occupational therapy, speech therapy, chiropody, homeopathy, chiropractice,acupuncture, etc.[6]

[edit] Health Care reforms in the United States

Main article: Health care in the United States

Health care reform is a major agenda in the United States aside economic recovery.

President Barack Obamaand Democratic leaders of Congress are keen to overhaul thecurrent health care system, citing it as inefficient and unaffordable to Americans, andreplace it with a comprehensive national system of health insurance.

In 2009, the overhaul of the health care system in the United States was approved and theSenate passed an $871 billion bill. This was a major step towards health care reform andthe stage was now set. By the end of March 2009, the chairmen of five Congressionalcommitteeshad reached a consensus on the main ingredients of legislation, and insuranceindustry representatives had made some major concessions. The chairmen, all Democrats,agreed that everyone must carry insurance and that employers should be required to helppay for it. They also agreed that the government should offer a public health insurance

plan as an alternative to private insurance. [7].

But the matter started to become complicated when the Democratic Party lost its Senateseat in Massachusettsto Republicans losing its 60th vote which gave it an advantage overthe Republicans. A health care reform was further dealt a blow with the announcementthat Billy Tauzin, a top lobbyist who positioned the pharmaceutical industry firmlybehind health-care reform, would resign. [8] A meeting held between Democrat andRepublican lawmakers on February 25, 2010, resulted in an impasse. [9]

[edit] Research

See also: List of health care journals,List of medical journals, List of pharmaceuticalsciences journals, List of bioinformatics journals, and Medical literature

Top impact factoracademic journals in the health care field includeHealth Affairs andMilbank Quarterly. The New England Journal of Medicine,British Medical Journal, andthe Journal of the American Medical Association are more general journals.
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Biomedical research(orexperimental medicine), in general simply known as medicalresearch, is thebasic research,applied research, ortranslational research conducted to aidthe body of knowledge in the field ofmedicine. Medical research can be divided into twogeneral categories: the evaluation of new treatments for both safety and efficacy in whatare termed clinical trials, and all other research that contributes to the development of

new treatments. The latter is termedpreclinical researchif its goal is specifically toelaborate knowledge for the development of new therapeutic strategies. A new paradigmto biomedical research is being termedtranslational research, which focuses on iterativefeedback loops between the basic and clinical research domains to accelerate knowledgetranslation from the bedside to the bench, and back again.

In terms of pharmaceutical R&D spending, Europe spends a little less that the UnitedStates (22.50bn compared to 27.05bn in 2006) and there is less growth in EuropeanR&D spending.[10][11] Pharmaceuticals and other medical devices are the leading hightechnology exports of Europe and the United States.[11][12] However, the United Statesdominates the biopharmaceutical field, accounting for the three quarters of the worlds

biotechnology revenues and 80% of world R&D spending in biotechnology.

[10][11]

[edit] World Health Organization

Main article: World Health OrganizationSee also: Global health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized United Nationsagency whichacts as a coordinator and researcher forpublic healtharound the world. Established on 7April 1948, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandateand resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an agency ofthe League of Nations. The WHO's constitution states that its mission "is the attainment

by all peoples of the highest possible level of health." Its major task is to combat disease,especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the general health of the peoples of theworld. Examples of its work include years of fighting smallpox. In 1979 the WHOdeclared that the disease had been eradicated - the first disease in history to be completelyeliminated by deliberate human design. The WHO is nearing success in developingvaccines against malariaand schistosomiasisand aims to eradicate polio within the nextfew years. The organization has already endorsed the world's first official HIV/AIDSToolkit forZimbabwe from October 3, 2006, making it an international standard.[13]

The WHO is financed by contributions from member states and from donors. In recentyears the WHO's work has involved more collaboration, currently around 80 such

partnerships, with NGOs and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as with foundationssuch as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.Voluntary contributions to the WHO from national and local governments, foundationsand NGOs, other UN organizations, and the private sector (including pharmaceuticalcompanies), now exceed that of assessed contributions (dues) from its 193 membernations.[14]

[edit] Economics
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Main article: Health economics

Health economicsis a branch ofeconomics concerned with issues related to scarcity inthe allocation ofhealthand health care. Broadly, health economists study the functioningof the health care system and the private and social causes of health-affecting behaviors

such as smoking.

A seminal 1963 article by Kenneth Arrow, often credited with giving rise to the healtheconomics as a discipline, drew conceptual distinctions between health and other goals.[15]

Factors that distinguish health economics from other areas include extensive governmentintervention, intractable uncertainty in several dimensions,asymmetric information, andexternalities.[16]Governments tend to regulate the health care industry heavily and alsotend to be the largest payerwithin the market. Uncertainty is intrinsic to health, both inpatient outcomes and financial concerns. The knowledge gap that exists between aphysician and a patient can prevent the patient from accurately describing his symptomsor enable the physician to prescribe unnecessary but profitable services; these imbalances

lead to market failures resulting from asymmetric information.Externalitiesarisefrequently when considering health and health care, notably in the context of infectiousdisease. For example, making an effort to avoid catching a cold, or practising safer sex,affects people other than the decision maker.

The scope of health economics is neatly encapsulated by Alan William's "plumbingdiagram"[17] dividing the discipline into eight distinct topics:

What influences health? (other than health care) What is health and what is its value The demand for health care

The supply of health care Micro-economic evaluation attreatment level Market equilibrium Evaluation at whole system level; and, Planning, budgeting and monitoring mechanisms.

Consuming just under 10 percent ofgross domestic product of most developed nations,health care can form an enormous part of a country'seconomy. In 2001, health careconsumed 8.4 per cent of GDP across theOECDcountries[18] with the United States(13.9%), Switzerland(10.9%), and Germany(10.7%) being the top three.

The United States and Canada account for 48% of world pharmaceutical sales, whileEurope, Japan, and all other nations account for 30%, 9%, and 13%, respectively.[11]

United States accounts for the three quarters of the worlds biotechnology revenues. heybebe

[edit] Systems
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A group ofChilean 'Damas de Rojo', volunteers on their local hospital.Main article: Health care systemSee also: Preventive medicineand Social medicine

Social health insuranceis where a nation's entire population is eligible for health carecoverage, and this coverage and the services provided are regulated. In almost everycountry, state or municipality with a government health care system a parallel private,and usually for-profit, system is allowed to operate. This is sometimes referred to astwo-tier health care. The scale, extent, and funding of these private systems is variable.

A traditional view is that improvements in health result from advancements in medicalscience. The medical model of health focuses on the eradication ofillness throughdiagnosis and effective treatment. In contrast, the social model of health places emphasison changes that can be made in society and in people's own lifestyles to make thepopulation healthier. It defines illness from the point of view of the individual'sfunctioning within their society rather than by monitoring for changes in biological orphysiological signs.[19]

The United States currently operates under a mixed markethealth care system.Government sources (federal, state, and local) account for 45% of U.S. health careexpenditures.[20] Private sources account for the remainder of costs, with 38% of people

receiving health coverage through their employers and 17% arising from other privatepayment such as private insurance and out-of-pocket co-pays. Opponents of governmentintervention into the market generally believe that such intervention distorts pricing asgovernment agents would be operating outside of the corporate model and the principlesofmarket discipline; they have less short and medium-term incentives than private agentsto make purchases that can generate revenues and avoid bankruptcy. Health systemreform in the United States usually focuses around three suggested systems, withproposals currently underway to integrate these systems in various ways to provide a
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number of health care options. First is single-payer, a term meant to describe a singleagency managing a single system, as found in most modernized countries as well as somestates and municipalities within the United States. Second are employer or individualinsurance mandates, with which the state of Massachusetts has experimented. Finally,there is consumer-driven health, in which systems, consumers, and patients have more

control of how they access care. This is argued[by whom?]

to provide a greater incentive tofind cost-saving health care approaches. Critics of consumer-driven health say that itwould benefit the healthy but be insufficient for the chronically sick, much as the currentsystem operates. Over the past thirty years, most of the nation's health care has movedfrom the second model operating with not-for-profit institutions to the third modeloperating with for-profit institutions; the greater problems with this approach have beenthe gradual deregulation of HMOs resulting in fewer of the promised choices forconsumers, and the steady increase in consumer cost that has marginalized consumersand burdened states with excessive urgent health care costs that are avoided withconsumers have adequate access to preventive health care.

A few states have taken serious steps toward universal health care coverage, most notablyMinnesota, Massachusetts and Connecticut, with recent examples being theMassachusetts 2006 Health Reform Statute [21] and Connecticut's SustiNet plan to providequality, affordable health care to state residents.[22]

[edit] Politics

Main article: Health policy

The politics of health care depends largely on which country one is in. Current concernsin England, for instance, revolve around the use ofprivate finance initiatives to build

hospitals which it is argued costs taxpayers more in the long run.[23] In Germany andFrance, concerns are more based on the rising cost of drugs to the governments. In Brazil,an important political issue is the breach ofintellectual property rights, orpatents, for thedomestic manufacture ofantiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

The South Africangovernment, whose population sets the record for HIV infections,came under pressure for its refusal to admit there is any connection with AIDS[24]becauseof the cost it would have involved. In the United States 12% to 16% of the citizens arestill unable to afford health insurance. State boards and the Department of Health regulateinpatient care to reduce the national health care deficit. To tackle the problems of theperpetually increasing number of uninsured, and costs associated with the US health care

system, President Barack Obama says he favors the creation of a universal health caresystem.[25] However, New York Times opinion columnistPaul Krugmansaid that Obama'splan would not actually provide universal coverage,[26] and Factcheck.org alleges thatObama's predicted savings were exaggerated.[27] In contrast, the state of Oregon and thecity of San Francisco are both examples of governments that adopted universal healthcaresystems for strictly fiscal reasons.
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[edit] Health care by country

Main article: Health care system

Health care systems are composed of individuals and organizations that aim to meet the

health care needs of target populations. There are a wide variety of health care systemsaround the world. In some countries, the health care system planning is distributed amongmarket participants, whereas in others planning is made more centrally amonggovernments, trade unions, charities, religious, or other co-ordinated bodies to deliverplanned health care services targeted to the populations they serve. However, health careplanning has often been evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

[edit] See also

Health portal

Acronyms in healthcare Alliance for Healthy Cities Consumer Health Coalition Elderly care Health care politics Health care provider Health care proxy Health disparities Health informatics Health law Health promotion Health science Healthcare reform Managed care Medical ethics Medical savings account Nightingale's environmental theory Nurse-managed health center Philosophy of healthcare School health services Youth health

[edit] Notes

1. World Health Organization Report. (2000). "Why do health systems matter?".WHO.

2. Appel, Jacob M. "Health care hard to recognize, tough to define," AlbanyTimes-Union November 12, 2009
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