Public Health Sciences Course Program (PHS)

How to Organize and Finance Health Systems

Health systems are differently organized in the rich and the less rich countries. The health system organizes the “market” of health care providers and how the payment of health care is divided among the government, insurance companies, and private out-of-pocket payments. In this Module 2 course, you will encounter the variety of these organizational aspects and dive into the fine details of the Swiss system with a “managed competition” at the levels of health care providers and health insurance companies. Important contributors to variation in delivered and “financially covered” care will be discussed, as well as the foundations of decision making from the perspective of economic theory.

Ziele

At the end of this course, participants shall be able to:

  • explain the main types of the organization of the health care system
  • understand the main elements of managed competition in health care markets
  • know key indicators for comparison of health systems (e.g. those used by OECD)
  • describe plausible sources of observed variations in health care
  • explain the incentives created by the organization of the health care system

Inhalte

This course will cover how health systems can be and are organized in the rich and the less rich countries and how to compare their “performance”. The course will cover a variety of these organizational aspects and focus on the details of the Swiss system which is regulated using the principle of managed competition.  The course also covers basic economic principles of decision making. Between the first day in week 1 and the second day two weeks later, the students will work on 3 selected case studies and will present results from their work on their assigned case study.

Arbeitsweise / Programm

Preparative reading
Input via lectures
Case study and its presentation

Basisinformationen

Nummer E046.232.25
Termine
  • Tuesday 30.09.2025
  • Tuesday 07.10.2025
Zeiten 09:15-16:30
Kursort

Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine ISPM
Mittelstrasse 43,
3012 Bern

room 216, second floor

Situationsplan
Leitung

Professor Marcel Zwahlen
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern
Professor Michael Gerfin
Department of Economics, University of Bern

Plätze max. 20 Personen
Kurssprache English
Anmeldefrist 15.09.2025
Format Individual event von Public Health Sciences Course Program
You will receive a certificate of attendance.
Trägerschaft

Faculty of Medicine University of Bern

Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Public Health Sciences Course Program (PHS)

ECTS-Info

1 ECTS point will be credited for this course including four sessions

For an accreditation of the ECTS, a minimum of 80% attendance and active participation incl. completion of assignments and assessments are required.

Zielpublikum

All PhD students, Post-docs, clinicians and public health practitioners interested in the topic.

Besonderes

Prerequisites: Familiarity with epidemiological concepts and demographic key indicators
Course takes place every second year.

Anmelde- und Aufnahmeverfahren

A tertiary education degree is required. The program manager decides on the final admission. Priority is given to PhD students

Application process: You are requested to enroll online. Seats will be allocated according to date of enrolment. Three weeks before the course/workshop at the latest, the administration will decide and inform about running or cancelling the course/workshop.

Kosten

Amount still open

Administratives

Registration fees are waived for PhD students of the University of Bern who commit to the whole course attendance. To avoid being invoiced, it is mandatory that you indicate your institute and the matriculation number upon registration for the course. Please note cancellation regulations below.

Course fees for other participant categories:

PostDocs Uni Bern CHF 100
Other participants Uni Bern CHF 300
Participants other academic institutions 600
Other participants CHF 840

Participants completing the entire PHS Course Program benefit from a reduction; overview course fees here.

Annullierungsbestimmungen

After the closing date for registrations, the organisers will decide whether the course can take place. The decision is based on the number of registrations.

Kontakt

University of Bern
Public Health Sciences Course Program

c/o Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
Mittelstrasse 43
3012 Bern
Switzerland

Tel: +41 31 684 34 04

phs-admin.ispm@unibe.ch
www.medizin.unibe.ch/phs

Anmeldung