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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.
Note

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

Patient at center with his leg in a cast. Five icons surround him, representing providers, payers, pharmaceuticals, MedTech, and public sector health, with public sector health icon highlighted.

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

Inform and prepare communities

  • Coordinate emergency operations.
  • Educate communities about health issues.
  • Conduct surveillance.
  • Assess conditions and analyze trends.
  • Contain hazards.

Broadcast updates on wildfire safety and refuge centers.

Develop policy and enforce regulations

  • Mobilize community partnerships.
  • Create and enforce policies to keep the public healthy and safe.

Ensure that “no smoking” rules are followed in public settings to prevent second-hand smoke.

Deliver health services

  • Provide treatments to key parts of the population.
  • Develop and administer countermeasures.
  • Keep first-responders safe.

Provide access to vaccines and recommend social distancing during a pandemic.

Ensure workforce competency

  • Support continuing healthcare education.
  • Provide health compliance training.
  • Oversee the certification and licensing of healthcare professionals.

Require medical professionals to maintain up-to-date licenses and certifications.

Research and evaluate interventions

  • Evaluate effectiveness of interventions.
  • Research determinants of health.
  • Assess public health impact of events and countermeasures.

Research risk factors and common causes of diseases in communities.

Examples of public sector health include child wellness, clean water, and veteran care

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.

  • WHO—World Health Organization
  • CDC—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
  • DGPH—German Public Health Association (Germany)
  • PAHO—Pan American Health Organization
  • HHS—Health and Human Services (US)

Government Providers

Deliver quality services efficiently to the beneficiaries of government healthcare.

  • FAMHP—The Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Belgium)
  • VHA—Veterans Health Administration (US)
  • NHS—National Health Service (UK)
  • Public and state-owned hospitals and community health centers

Government Payers

Fund services to the recipients of government healthcare.

  • CMS—Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (US)
  • NI—National Insurance (UK)
  • Assurance Maladie—Health Insurance (France)
  • NDS—National Disability Services (Australia)

Government Regulators

Set policies to ensure that the best health outcomes are provided to constituents.

  • IHR—International Health Regulations (Int’l.)
  • ASNM—National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (France)
  • FDA—Food and Drug Administration (US)
  • AHPRA—Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
  • BfArM—Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Germany)

Government Researchers

Investigate, create, and evaluate health intervention programs, such as therapies, devices, and vaccines.

  • NIH—National Institutes of Health (US)
  • CIHR—Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada)
  • AMED—Agency for Medical Research and Development (Japan)
  • AHRQ—Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US)

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.

Resources

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