Get to Know Public Sector Health Basics
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Describe public sector health.
- Identify public sector health services and organizations.
- Discuss the differences between public health and healthcare.
The healthcare industry information in this module applies mainly to the United States. Keep in mind that healthcare experiences around the world may differ vastly.
Helping Others Live Better
Good health is one of the greatest gifts a person can have. And the public health sector aims to help people all around the world live their best lives.
Public sector health is just one of the five healthcare categories, or sectors. These sectors also include providers, payers, pharmaceuticals, and MedTech. For an overview of the primary aims, trends, and market sectors in healthcare and life sciences, check out The Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry: Quick Look.
What’s the difference between public sector health and public health?
Good question. Public health is just one part of public sector health. Another way of thinking of it is:
- Public sector health focuses on optimizing local, state, and federal government constituent health services, care payments, public health and emergency response, social services, research, and regulatory issues.
- Public health—part of public sector health—focuses on protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting or responding to infectious diseases are all duties of those in public health.
Public Health
Two other related terms we sort out are public health and healthcare.
- Public health protects the safety and improves the health of communities through education, legislation, applied research, hazard containment, and injury prevention.
- Healthcare maintains or improves health through the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people.
In other words, in public health, the focus is on the community. In healthcare, the focus is on the individual.
Public health provides these five main services to improve constituents’ well-being.
| Public Health Service | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
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Inform and prepare communities |
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Broadcast updates on wildfire safety and refuge centers. |
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Develop policy and enforce regulations |
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Ensure that “no smoking” rules are followed in public settings to prevent second-hand smoke. |
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Deliver health services |
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Provide access to vaccines and recommend social distancing during a pandemic. |
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Ensure workforce competency |
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Require medical professionals to maintain up-to-date licenses and certifications. |
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Research and evaluate interventions |
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Research risk factors and common causes of diseases in communities. |
Public Sector Health
Public sector health is a term that groups the different parts of this huge industry, which includes these areas.
| Area | What They Do | Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
Public Health and Social Services |
Manage crises, slow the spread of pandemics and diseases, and streamline public health and social services. |
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Government Providers |
Deliver quality services efficiently to the beneficiaries of government healthcare. |
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Government Payers |
Fund services to the recipients of government healthcare. |
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Government Regulators |
Set policies to ensure that the best health outcomes are provided to constituents. |
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Government Researchers |
Investigate, create, and evaluate health intervention programs, such as therapies, devices, and vaccines. |
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Now you have a better understanding of the different organizations in public sector health and the role of public health. In the next unit you meet the people who work in these organizations.
