Education
Spring Course
Economics of the Health Care Industries
Ernst R. Berndt
15.141, HST.918j
To explore and gain an understanding of the major economic and strategic issues facing management, investors and policy makers in the various health care and allied industries. Most weekly classes are divided into two sessions. Typically, in the first session a local academic (most often, but not always, Professor Berndt) will lead a discussion focusing on a particular set of issues, e.g., what are the economic, statistical, clinical, strategic and ethical issues in designing a randomized controlled clinical trial? Then in the second half of each weekly class, an outside speaker from industry or government will engage the class in a discussion of how these issues are being dealt with in the real world (e.g. how does Company X work with a contract research organization in designing a trial and in recruiting patients?).
Focuses on economic issues in various health care industries, such as the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries. Differences between health care and other industries, regulatory issues involving establishing efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treatments, strategic issues in global marketing and pricing, use of e-commerce and information technology, and formation and management of various alliances, are addressed. Visiting speakers come from academia, government and industry.
