Question 1

Process quality refers to the physical and human resources of the medical care organization.

Accepted Answer

Process quality refers to the effectiveness and efficiency of the medical care organization's processes and systems for delivering care, not just the physical and human resources. It includes factors such as patient safety, timeliness, equity, and patient-centeredness.

Question 2

Which of the following is not a characteristic of medical care that distinguishes it from other goods?

Accepted Answer

Investment is a characteristic of other goods, not medical care.

Question 3

_______ occurs when more patients are treated by a new medical intervention.

Accepted Answer

Treatment expansion refers to the increase in the number of patients treated with a new medical intervention. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including increased awareness, advertising, and improved accessibility of the intervention. It is different from treatment substitution, which occurs when patients switch from an existing intervention to a new one, often due to the perceived superiority of the new intervention. Income inequality, social influence, and environmental impact are not directly related to the increase in patients treated with a new medical intervention.

Question 4

Better macroeconomic conditions have a positive overall impact on health.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Better macroeconomic conditions have a positive overall...

Question 5

The _______ states that an individual's income relative to some social group average impacts health.

Accepted Answer

The relative income hypothesis proposes that an individual's health is influenced by their income relative to the average income of their social group. This means that even if an individual's absolute income (i.e. how much they earn) is high, if it is lower than the average income of their social group, they may experience negative health outcomes.

Question 6

_______ can help avoid the problem of diminishing marginal productivity of medical care.

Accepted Answer

Advancements in medical technology can help avoid the problem of diminishing marginal productivity of medical care by making healthcare services more efficient and effective. This can result in better outcomes for patients and reduce the need for additional medical resources such as physicians and nurses. Increasing the number of physicians and nurses may temporarily alleviate the problem, but it does not address the root cause of diminishing marginal productivity.

Question 7

Which of the following accounts for the greatest number of deaths in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diseases of the heart (which include coronary artery disease, heart failure, and other conditions) are the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for approximately 655,000 deaths annually.

Question 8

The reduction in the number of reported polio cases was due largely to government health programs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The reduction in the number of reported...

Question 9

_______ has been credited as the leading cause of decreases in child mortality during the early twentieth century in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

Improvements in water quality, specifically the implementation of chlorination and filtration systems in public water supplies, significantly reduced the spread of waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera, which were major causes of child mortality in the early twentieth century. The other options listed did not have as direct or significant an impact on child mortality during this time period.

Question 10

Which of the following best illustrates the law of diminishing marginal utility?

Accepted Answer

The law of diminishing marginal utility states that as more units of a good are consumed, the additional satisfaction, or utility, gained from each additional unit will eventually decrease. In this case, the person chooses to visit the dentist twice a year for checkups rather than once a month, which suggests that the additional utility gained from more frequent visits is not worth the additional cost and effort. Thus, this choice illustrates the law of diminishing marginal utility. The other choices do not directly relate to the concept of diminishing marginal utility.

Question 11

Advancements in medical technology allow people to obtain greater amounts of health with the same amount of medical care.

Accepted Answer

Medical technology has advanced significantly in recent years, allowing doctors to diagnose and treat diseases more effectively. This means that patients can receive better health outcomes with the same amount of medical care, as medical technology is able to provide more precise and targeted treatments. For example, advances in imaging technology have made it easier for doctors to detect cancer early, while the development of personalized medicine allows doctors to tailor treatments to an individual's genetic makeup. These advancements have led to improved health outcomes for patients, even though they may not require more medical care.

Question 12

There is a constant relationship between increases in health and utility.

Accepted Answer

The relationship between health and utility is not constant; it can vary depending on individual preferences, the nature of health improvements, and diminishing marginal utility for health gains at higher levels of health.

Question 13

Which of the following is included in the health production function?

Accepted Answer

The health production function includes a variety of factors that can affect an individual's health. These factors encompass age, state of medical technology, gender, and income, among others, as they all contribute to the overall health outcomes of individuals.

Question 14

The _______ states that distribution of income directly impacts health.

Accepted Answer

The income inequality hypothesis states that unequal distribution of income directly impacts health. This is based on research that has shown that income inequality is associated with negative health outcomes, such as higher rates of disease, shorter life expectancy, and poor mental health. The other hypotheses listed (absolute income hypothesis, relative income hypothesis, relative position hypothesis, and absolute position hypothesis) do not specifically focus on the impact of income inequality on health.

Question 15

The concept of _______ helps explain why some people choose not to visit their primary care physician every day.

Accepted Answer

The concept of diminishing marginal utility suggests that as individuals consume more of a good or service, the additional satisfaction or value they receive from each unit decreases. Applied to healthcare, this means that repeat visits to a primary care physician may not provide as much benefit as the first visit, leading some people to choose not to visit every day.

Quiz 2: Health and Medical Care: an Economic Perspective