Jakub Červený, a researcher and lecturer in the new Master's Programme in Applied Health Economics, is an analyst at the Slovak Ministry of Health. His research was devoted to regional differences in health care utilisation and the likelihood of survival of patients after a heart attack during outpatient treatment. He is now coming to ECON MUNI where he will teach future health economists, among other things, how to process health-related data.
Regional differences in health care utilisation exist in most countries, including Slovakia. They can be divided into two types: supply-related and demand-related. Differences on the demand side are caused by such factors as the health status of the population. Differences on the supply side, on the other hand, are related to the organisation of the healthcare system as such, the network of hospitals, doctors and specialists, and therefore the availability of healthcare. More than 90% of regional differences in the use of outpatient medical care are demand-driven in Slovakia. Therefore, we see the highest uptake of health care mainly in the northern and eastern districts.
We were looking for an answer to the question whether higher health care spending on patients after myocardial infarction leads to better treatment outcome or lower mortality. Investment in patient hospitalisation and follow-up care after discharge varies considerably across Slovakia. University hospitals in larger cities such as Bratislava or Martin spend the most money on the care of these patients, because they are able to provide more comprehensive treatment, primarily due to better material and technical equipment. The correlation between higher expenditure and higher survival rates has been demonstrated in foreign studies as well, for example in the USA. However, these were focused on survival during the hospital stay. Our analysis also took into account the survival of patients after discharge from hospital, when they move to outpatient care. We managed to confirm the relationship between higher spending and higher survival probability – in other words, the investment in local outpatient care pays off.
This is a question we also partly tried to answer in our research. Our results suggest that regions with higher spending on outpatient care for heart attack patients have higher utilisation of procedures such as EKGs or cardiac ultrasounds. Patients in these regions were more likely to see their outpatient cardiologist and more likely to make use of rehabilitation. Thanks to the higher investment in outpatient care in the regions, patients may be better monitored and treated, which may lead to early detection of any deterioration in their health.
The Applied Health Economics programme is a great choice for anyone who is or would like to be involved in health and health policy. If I am not mistaken, this is the only programme of its kind in Central Europe. Unfortunately, there are not too many experts in health and health economics in our country, we are certainly lagging behind "Western" countries in this respect. It is therefore great that this programme will educate a whole new generation of experts who will be able to contribute their knowledge and work to the professional debate and to building an efficient and effective healthcare system in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and neighbouring countries.
I am primarily devoted to applied microeconometrics, with a focus on labour and health economics. It will therefore most likely be teaching econometric and statistical methods, with a focus on health data.
Dr Jakub Červený has been an Assistant Professor at the Health Economics, Policy, and Innovation Institute (HEPII) since 2024 and also works at the Institute of Health Analyses of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. The focus of his research is applied microeconometrics, and health and labour economics. His research interests include survival/duration analysis, regional differences in health care consumption and quality, patients' additional payments for medicines and competition in health care. He received his PhD in 2017 from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Health Economics at the Medical University of Vienna.
With the end of the year approaching, we bring you a summary of the most interesting events and achievements in the field of science and research at ECON MUNI. Our scientists have been involved in projects with a direct impact on society, celebrated success in grant competitions and helped politicians and public administration to make better decisions through the new Policy Reports Series.
