Health care provider payment schemes consist of a complex set of arrangements used to influence provider behavior towards specific health policy objectives. The study aimed at: 1) providing a structured, comparative overview of current payment schemes within the public health system in selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries for different health care providers; 2) identifying and comparing major changes in payment schemes since 2010. Methods included: 1) data collection form development; 2) desk research; 3) national experts' consultations; 4) comparative analysis. The results indicate that the nine CEE countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, and Romania) show numerous similarities in provider payment method mix and in the general direction of the recent changes conducted in this field. Output-based payment methods prevail across all countries and types of providers. Primary health care (PHC) providers are characterized by the most diverse payment method mix. PHC and hospital inpatient care have experienced the most frequent changes in their payment schemes within the last 13 years. These focused mostly on modifying existing payment methods (e.g. detailing payment categories), and applying additional methods to pay for specific services or performance (e.g. fee-for-service, bonus payments). The objectives of conducted change were often similar, thus, there is high potential for a shared, cross-country learning.

• Klíčová slova
• Central and Eastern Europe, Health care provider, Provider payment method, Provider payment scheme,
• MeSH
• dávkové mechanismy * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• primární zdravotní péče ekonomika   MeSH
• zdravotní politika MeSH
• zdravotnický personál MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Chorvatsko MeSH
• Estonsko MeSH
• Evropa MeSH
• Litva MeSH
• Lotyšsko MeSH
• Maďarsko MeSH
• Polsko MeSH
• Rumunsko MeSH
• východní Evropa MeSH

Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have recently implemented reforms to health care provider payment systems, which include changing payment methods and related systems such as contracting, management information systems, and accountability mechanisms. This study examines factors influencing provider payment reforms implemented since 2010 in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. A four-stage mixed methods approach was used: developing a theoretical framework and data collection form using existing literature, mapping payment reforms, consulting with national health policy experts, and conducting a comparative analysis. Qualitative analysis included inductive thematic analysis and deductive approaches based on an existing health policy model, distinguishing context, content, process, and actors. We analyzed 27 payment reforms that focus mainly on hospitals and primary health care. We identified 14 major factor themes influencing those reforms. These factors primarily related to the policy process (pilot study, coordination of implementation systems, availability of funds, IT systems, training for providers, reform management) and content (availability of performance indicators, use of clinical guidelines, favorability of the payment system for providers, tariff valuation). Two factors concerned the reform context (political willingness or support, regulatory framework, and bureaucracy) and two were in the actors' dimension (engagement of stakeholders, capacity of stakeholders). This study highlights that the content and manner of implementation (process) of a reform are crucial. Stakeholder involvement and their capacities could influence every dimension of the reform cycle. The nine countries analyzed share similarities in barriers and facilitators, suggesting the potential for cross-country learning.

• Klíčová slova
• Eastern Europe, health care reform, healthcare providers, hospitals, payment systems, primary health care,
• MeSH
• dávkové mechanismy MeSH
• kvalitativní výzkum MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• reforma zdravotní péče * MeSH
• zdravotní politika MeSH
• zdravotnický personál MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• východní Evropa MeSH

OBJECTIVES: Seasonal influenza vaccination rates among the elderly in the Czech Republic are alarmingly low, making it one of the least vaccinated countries in Europe. This study explored the role of vaccine literacy and insurance coverage on vaccination status. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Summer 2023 using a self-administered questionnaire covering vaccine literacy (functional, interactive, and critical skills), negative perceptions towards influenza vaccination, and the 5C model (confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility). Individuals aged 55 and older were included in the study. Mediation analyses assessed the indirect effects of insurance coverage on vaccination status. RESULTS: Significant differences were noted in vaccination rates based on insurance coverage, chronic diseases, regular medication use, and previous COVID-19 and pneumococcal vaccinations. Vaccine literacy, especially interactive and critical skills, was higher among vaccinated individuals. Confidence and collective responsibility were significant promoters, while complacency and constraints were barriers to vaccination. Mediation analyses indicated that negative perceptions, confidence, and collective responsibility significantly mediated the relationship between insurance coverage and vaccination status. CONCLUSION: Enhancing vaccine literacy and addressing psychological antecedents are crucial for improving influenza vaccination rates among the elderly. Policy measures should include improving vaccine literacy, building public confidence, and addressing negative perceptions.

• Klíčová slova
• Czech Republic, aged, health literacy, influenza, vaccination hesitancy,
• MeSH
• chřipka lidská * prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• odkládání očkování * psychologie   MeSH
• pojistné krytí MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• vakcinace psychologie   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• vakcíny proti chřipce * MeSH
• Východoevropané MeSH
• zdraví - znalosti, postoje, praxe MeSH
• zdravotní gramotnost * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• vakcíny proti chřipce * MeSH

Most research on health care equity focuses on accessing services, with less attention given to how revenue is collected to pay for a country's health care bill. This article examines the progressivity of revenue collection among publicly funded sources: income taxes, social insurance (often in the form of payroll) taxes, and consumption taxes (e.g., value-added taxes). We develop methodology to derive a qualitative index that rates each of 29 high-income countries as to its progressivity or regressivity for each of the three sources of revenue. A variety of data sources are employed, some from secondary data sources and other from country representatives of the Health Systems and Policy Monitor of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. We found that countries with more progressive income tax systems used more income-based tax brackets and had larger differences in marginal tax rates between the brackets. The more progressive social insurance revenue collection systems did not have an upper income cap and exempted poorer persons or reduced their contributions. The only pattern regarding consumption taxes was that countries that exhibited the fewest overall income inequalities tended to have least regressive consumption tax policies. The article also provides several examples from the sample of countries on ways to make public revenue financing of health care more progressive.

• Klíčová slova
• Equity, Health care financing, Income tax, Progressivity, Public funds, Regressivity, Social insurance tax, VAT,
• MeSH
• daň z příjmu ekonomika   MeSH
• daně * ekonomika   MeSH
• financování vládou * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• poskytování zdravotní péče ekonomika   MeSH
• sociální zabezpečení ekonomika   MeSH
• vyspělé země MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

IMPORTANCE: Evacuation has been found to be associated with adverse outcomes among nursing home residents during hurricanes, but the outcomes for assisted living (AL) residents remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between evacuation and health care outcomes (ie, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, mortality, and nursing home visits) among Florida AL residents exposed to Hurricane Irma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study using 2017 Medicare claims data. Participants were a cohort of Florida AL residents who were aged 65 years or older, enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service, and resided in 9-digit zip codes corresponding to US assisted living communities with 25 or more beds on September 10, 2017, the day of Hurricane Irma's landfall. Propensity score matching was used to match evacuated residents to those that sheltered-in-place based on resident and AL characteristics. Data were analyzed from September 2022 to February 2024. EXPOSURE: Whether the AL community evacuated or sheltered-in-place before Hurricane Irma made landfall. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Thirty- and 90-day emergency department visits, hospitalizations, mortality, and nursing home admissions. RESULTS: The study cohort included 25 130 Florida AL residents (mean [SD] age 81 [9] years); 3402 (13.5%) evacuated and 21 728 (86.5%) did not evacuate. The evacuated group had 2223 women (65.3%), and the group that sheltered-in-place had 14 556 women (67.0%). In the evacuated group, 42 residents (1.2%) were Black, 93 (2.7%) were Hispanic, and 3225 (94.8%) were White. In the group that sheltered in place, 490 residents (2.3%) were Black, 707 (3.3%) were Hispanic, and 20 212 (93.0%) were White. After 1:4 propensity score matching, when compared with sheltering-in-place, evacuation was associated with a 16% greater odds of emergency department visits (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.33; P = .04) and 51% greater odds of nursing home visits (AOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.14-2.00; P = .01) within 30 days of Hurricane Irma's landfall. Hospitalization and mortality did not vary significantly by evacuation status within 30 or 90 days after the landfall date. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study of Florida AL residents, there was an increased risk of nursing home and emergency department visits within 30 days of Hurricane Irma's landfall among residents from communities that evacuated before the storm when compared with residents from communities that sheltered-in-place. The stress and disruption caused by evacuation may yield poorer immediate health outcomes after a major storm for AL residents. Therefore, the potential benefits and harms of evacuating vs sheltering-in-place must be carefully considered when developing emergency planning and response.

• MeSH
• cyklonové bouře * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• domy s pečovatelskou službou * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• hospitalizace statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Medicare statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• pečovatelské domovy statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• urgentní služby nemocnice statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Florida MeSH
• Spojené státy americké MeSH

Considering a rejection rate of 80-90%, the preparation of a research grant is often considered a daunting task since it is resource intensive and there is no guarantee of success, even for seasoned researchers. This commentary provides a summary of the key points a researcher needs to consider when writing a research grant proposal, outlining: (1) how to conceptualise the research idea; (2) how to find the right funding call; (3) the importance of planning; (4) how to write; (5) what to write, and (6) key questions for reflection during preparation. It attempts to explain the difficulties associated with finding calls in clinical pharmacy and advanced pharmacy practice, and how to overcome them. The commentary aims to assist all pharmacy practice and health services research colleagues new to the grant application process, as well as experienced researchers striving to improve their grant review scores. The guidance in this paper is part of ESCP's commitment to stimulate "innovative and high-quality research in all areas of clinical pharmacy".

• Klíčová slova
• Clinical pharmacy, Economics, Funding, Grants, Peer review, Writing,
• MeSH
• farmacie * MeSH
• financování organizované MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nemocniční lékárny * MeSH
• psaní MeSH
• výzkumný projekt MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

This analysis of the Czech health system reviews developments in governance, organization, financing and delivery of care, health reforms and health system performance. Czechs have enjoyed a statutory health insurance system with a high level of financial protection, a broad benefits package and universal membership for over 30 years. The central level of the state, mostly represented through the Ministry of Health and its subordinated bodies, takes on the various roles of legislator, steward and even owner of various providers of care, while also making insurance contributions for the sizeable part of the population classified as economically inactive. Health insurance funds are responsible for contracting sufficient care provision for their members. The Czech health system has traditionally derived a majority of its financing from public sources, which stood at 81.5% of current health expenditure in 2019, as the latest available year of reference, with the rest coming from private sources. While health spending in Czechia is below the European Union (EU) average, the densities of acute care beds and primary care physicians are above respective EU averages. Ageing and a lack of qualified staff (for example, nurses in hospitals) are already putting pressure on the Czech health workforce, a bottleneck further exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Czechia has embarked on a reform process to modernize and centralize specialized tertiary care and psychiatric care. Patients enjoy free choice of primary and specialized outpatient providers, though there are signs that accessibility is limited in some regions and for some specialties. Overall, health outcomes in terms of life expectancy, mortality and survival rates of stroke and cancer have improved in recent years, though these improvements have been slower in Czechia than in other countries. However, life expectancy dropped considerably due to heightened mortality resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. There remains considerable room for improvement in strengthening disease prevention and health promotion, particularly for dietary habits and health literacy. Various efforts to advance evidence-based interventions in the health system, such as the initiation of health care quality monitoring and health system performance assessment, will assist in further analysing Czechia's health outcomes.

• MeSH
• COVID-19 * epidemiologie   MeSH
• kvalita zdravotní péče MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pandemie MeSH
• reforma zdravotní péče MeSH
• výdaje na zdravotnictví MeSH
• zdravotní pojištění MeSH
• zdravotní politika * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

BACKGROUND: Out of 185 orphan medicinal products (OMPs) registered in 2015-2021, a mere 110 (59 percent) were available to Czech patients, and only 54 (29 percent) were officially reimbursed. Moreover, this proportion has steadily decreased over time. After years of public debate induced by this unsatisfactory OMP patient access, the national viewpoint shifted toward creating a special pathway for the reimbursement of OMP. Thus, a rigorous pricing and reimbursement procedure with strict timelines and elaborated methodology has been recently adopted in Czechia. METHODOLOGY: The innovative legislation follows the recommendations for value assessment and funding processes for rare diseases and incorporates additional elements of value, such as the societal perspective. First, the application with clinical evidence, cost-effectiveness, and budget impact analyses is submitted to the governmental health technology assessment (HTA) agency by the Marketing Authorization Holder or a Health Insurance Fund. Moreover, professional associations and patients' organizations are rightful participants in the proceeding, providing evidence and comments. Then, the HTA agency performs the assessment/appraisal of the evidence. It subsequently publishes the assessment report summarizing available information. The report is then forwarded to the Ministry of Health and its advisory body consisting of patients, clinical experts, health insurance funds, and the State. They critically evaluate the documents and issue a binding opinion following prespecified decision-making criteria. Based on this binding opinion, the decision is issued by the HTA agency. Thus, the role of the advisory body in this process is crucial. CONCLUSION: We believe that this novel approach may offer satisfactory patient access to orphan drugs. Moreover, it serves as a real-world example of "value-based" decision making.

• Klíčová slova
• health policy, health technology assessment, orphan drugs, rare diseases, reimbursement,
• MeSH
• hodnocení biomedicínských technologií MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• rozhodování MeSH
• úhrada zdravotního pojištění MeSH
• výroba orphan drugs * MeSH
• vzácné nemoci * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

INTRODUCTION: Previous literature has explored patient perceptions of discrimination by race and insurance status, but little is known about whether the payer mix of the primary care clinic (i.e., that is majority public insurance vs. majority private insurance clinics) influences patient perceptions of race- or insurance-based discrimination. METHODS: Between 2015-2017, we assessed patient satisfaction and perceived race- and insurance-based discrimination using a brief, anonymous post-clinic visit survey. RESULTS: Participants included 3,721 patients from seven primary care clinics-three public clinics and four private clinics. Results from unadjusted logistic regression models suggest higher overall reports of race- and insurance-based discrimination in public clinics compared with private clinics. In mulvariate analyses, increasing age, Black race, lower education and Medicaid insurance were associated with higher odds of reporting race- and insurance-based discrimination in both public and private settings. CONCLUSION: Reports of race and insurance discrimination are higher in public clinics than private clinics. Sociodemographic variables, such as age, Black race, education level, and type of insurance also influence reports of race- and insurance-based discrimination in primary care.

• Klíčová slova
• Insurance, Perceived discrimination, Primary care, Race,
• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Medicaid * MeSH
• primární zdravotní péče MeSH
• spokojenost pacientů MeSH
• stupeň vzdělání MeSH
• vnímaná diskriminace * MeSH
• zdravotní pojištění MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Spojené státy americké MeSH

We established a Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) clinic to enhance resident training on comprehensive preventive care and chronic disease management, and to increase the number of older patients who received Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) preventive services. A total of 1,104 patients were tracked at baseline and during the intervention period. Patients were grouped into two categories: Adult (aged 55-64) and Senior (aged 65+). Clinical quality measures were monitored by electronic health record and tracked through monthly reports at baseline (May 2018) and during the intervention period (July 2018-June 2019). In the Senior group, the proportion of patients receiving the Medicare AWV increased after GWEP began (p <.001). Additionally, the Senior group showed significant improvements in the frequency of body mass index assessments (p = .04), colorectal cancer screenings (p < .001), advance directive documentation (p < .001), cognitive screenings (p < .001), and pneumococcal vaccinations (p < .001). In the Adult group, a trending increase was seen in influenza vaccinations (p = .06). Curricular innovations including the establishment of a GWEP clinic in our residency outpatient center, development of new educational materials, and use of a nurse coordinator resulted in significant improvements in the percentage of older adults who received the Medicare AWV benefit and preventive health performance metrics.

• Klíčová slova
• Medicare annual wellness visit, preventative health,
• MeSH
• geriatrie * výchova   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Medicare * MeSH
• pracovní síly MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• služby preventivní péče MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Spojené státy americké MeSH