Medical Services Market Research Articles

Медицинская услуга как гражданско-правовая категория

Основной задачей развитого государства является сохранение здоровья нации путем создания условий для его поддержания и восстановления. На сегодняшний день в Казахстане имеется внушительная основа для регулирования отношений в сфере медицинского обслуживания в лучших традициях мировых стандартов, многое сделано для обеспечения права граждан на получение качественной медицинской помощи. Однако несмотря на относительную сформированность правовой базы для регулирования рынка медицинских услуг, отчасти, все еще прослеживается некоторая неопределенность в гражданско-правовой регламентации отношений, складывающихся по поводу их оказания. Целью исследования является анализ правовой природы медицинской услуги как объекта гражданских прав. Автором рассмотрены видовые особенности медицинской услуги; обобщены основные юридические черты, определяющие ее сущность; обоснована значимость. Особое внимание уделено значению объектных признаков медицинской услуги в формировании предмета договора об оказании медицинских услуг. Исследование природы медицинской услуги как гражданско-правовой категории позволило автору оценить эффективность действующих норм, обобщить ряд правовых проблем, а также обосновать актуальность их разрешения для практики правоприменения. Вопросы, исследуемые автором в статье, представлены актуальными в условиях модернизации законодательства о здравоохранении и постоянного обновления гражданского законодательства, регулирующего договоры об оказании услуг.

КОМУНІКАЦІЙНІ ІНСТРУМЕНТИ БРЕНДИНГУ МЕДИЧНИХ УСТАНОВ У СОЦІАЛЬНИХ МЕРЕЖАХ

<p><strong><em>The purpose of the study</em></strong><em> is to represent communication tools for the </em><em>development of a branding strategy for a medical institution in social networks.</em></p><p><strong><em>Research methodology.</em></strong><em> To understand the phenomenon of branding, methods of analysis and synthesis, and descriptive method were used; ascertainment of the specifics of medical institutions branding required the use of monitoring, content analysis, comparison and survey methods.</em></p><p><strong><em>Results.</em></strong><em> The trends and specifics of branding </em><em>in the medical field («medical marketing»/«medical services marketing») were represented. Modern ways of updating content for information and communication interaction with the audience of a medical institution, in particular a maternity hospital, were described. The dominant communication tools for establishing contact with clients through social networks were characterized, in particular: video stories about the institution and its employees; materials with expert comments of specialists (doctors); live broadcasts with medical workers of the institution. The designed and implemented concept of content strategy in social networks for the maternity hospital number 9 of Zaporizhzhia was presented. The main components of corporate style and their implementation on the pages of the «Ninth» in social networks were revealed. As a result of the conducted online survey, a high assessment of the quality of the page information content on the Instagram platform was observed. It was found that the basic share of the target audience of the maternity hospital pages in social networks is pregnant women and women who have given birth, and therefore, in order to expand the circle of interested people, it is necessary to increase the percentage of content for those who are at the stage of pregnancy planning.</em></p><p><strong><em>Novelty of the research</em></strong><em> consists in studying the specifics of </em><em>branding such a type of medical institution as a maternity hospital; formation and implementation of the content strategy concept for organizing its pages in social networks, as well as studying the effectiveness of their content for information and communication interaction with the target audience.</em></p><p><strong><em>Practical significance.</em></strong><em> The conducted research contributed to the generalization of the main areas of information support for clients of medical institutions, in particular the regional maternity hospital, as well as to the identification of dominant trends in the development and implementation of the concept and content strategy of pages in social networks of such institutions.</em></p><p><strong><em>Key words:</em></strong><em> brand, branding, medical branding,</em><em> medical marketing, marketing of medical services, content strategy, social networks, information and communication interaction.</em></p>

The Relationship between Digital Technology and the Development of the Entrepreneurial Competencies of Young People in the Medical Field

Digital technology is an important tool that influences employees from the healthcare sector to manifest their intention to become an entrepreneur. Furthermore, the last pandemic crisis underlined the importance of digitalizing the relationship between medical staff and patients. The research aims to evaluate how digital technology influences the development of the entrepreneurial spirit of young people working in the medical field. The data were gathered from a sample of 395 young people with medical studies and analyzed with SMARTPLS4 using the PLS-SEM method. The motivation of young people with a background in the medical field to become entrepreneurs is strongly influenced by the objective assessment of the level of digitalization of the medical field. The usability and availability of new technology give people with a background in the medical field the desire to become an entrepreneur in this domain. The young people perceive their entrepreneurial potential in complementarity with the level of digitalization of the medical field. The research’s theoretical and practical contributions are underlined by the features of the young people that consider new technology as an omnipresent tool in their life. In the medical field, there are few theoretical papers and studies on the entrepreneurial spirit of young people with a background in healthcare, and our research underlines the importance of training the entrepreneurial competencies of young people in the medical field. The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the relevance of entrepreneurial competencies in building sustainable healthcare practices and identifying the deficiencies of healthcare systems to find timely solutions for the benefit of the patients. Therefore, the challenges related to the medical services market require a new approach to doctors’ entrepreneurial competencies.

A Review on Community Care for Chronic Disease Management Based on Digital Health Care: For Elderly Living Alone

In the face of aging, it can be difficult for the elderly to accept and cope with changes. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, changes in the medical service market for health care such as non-face-to-face treatment implementation, education and counseling, seminars, and camps have accelerated. Changes in medical use through mobile phones, tablet PCs, wearable devices, etc. were inevitable. It is important to study how the current early elderly population maintains change in daily life and the extent to which elderly people living alone can participate in such change. This review aims to answer the question, “What should we consider when treating and consulting patients regarding use of the vastly changing medical environment?” In particular, the study focuses on digital healthcare and community care and related health and welfare policies with consideration of aging and increasing chronic diseases.

Formation of Market Foundations of Health Care Organization in Ukraine (Commercial Legal Aspect)

In the article were analyzed the state and prospects of further medical reform in Ukraine. The authors set themselves the goal of conducting a study of the essence of health care reform, and during this process advantages and disadvantages of implemented changes in this area were characterized. The importance of this study lies in the fact that human health and life are recognized at the constitutional level as the highest price, and therefore their protection requires special attention from the state. Promoting the development of health care system improve the quality of life of the population, which in the future will have a positive effect on the economic development of the country. Four main directions of the reform were developed in the work, such as improving the quality of medical services, optimizing the financing of the health care system, improving the management system, and changes in the pharmaceutical sector. An important achievement of the reform is the introduction of the medical services market, which has its own specific features and base on the principle of free competition and financial transparency. The article focuses on the legal regulation of public relations in the field of health care. Legislative provision of this is considered from the point of view of creating a competitive market for medical services, which is opposed to the administrative model of ensuring citizens' health care. The institutional nature of the organization of such market with relevant entities providing services competing with each other is emphasized; medical service in its commodity-value aspect; introduction of the principle of consumer choice of medical service and the entity that provides it; creation of a special state agency that pays the cost of the provided medical service to the relevant subject of medical activity for the benefit of the beneficiary-consumer, who chose this particular subject. Accordingly, the driving force of the market is recognized the actual medical economic activity. Taking into account the above, the article, based on the analysis of the relevant legal acts, concludes that relations in the field of health care have been transformed in the direction of the economic and legal nature of their regulation. This is evidenced by the use of stable constructions of economic law, namely: economic activity; non-commercial management; communal non-commercial enterprise; state regulation of economic activity; subject of organizational and economic powers, etc. The continuation of scientific researches on this issue will contribute to the further development of the national health sector, including by improving the public management of this component of the national economy.

THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL TREATMENT INSTITUTIONS

Topicality. Reforming the modern health care system requires comprehensive strategic measures that will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the management of the strategic development of medical institutions. The market of medical institutions is an important component in the structure of the market of medical services, evidence of this is the intensive development and expansion of not only medical, but also cosmetic services, improving their quality and level of service. Therefore, there is an urgent need to determine the essence of managing the strategic development of medical institutions.
 Aim and tasks. To determine the fundamental theoretical approaches to understanding the essence of managing the strategic development of medical institutions.
 Materials and methods. The material for the research was the results of fundamental scientific works in the medical field, as well as materials for their planning in medical institutions. The main achievements of foreign and domestic science in the medical field, strategic planning of its development and the application of the principles of strategic management of medical institutions became the theoretical and methodological basis of the research. The work uses the methods of structural and logical analysis of the research, which will allow to highlight, logically structure and establish connections between the implementation of a unified medical information system and the result of the work. Statistical methods, including retrospective and prospective analysis, were used to study the competitive advantages of drug treatment. A problem-oriented method was used for the scientific substantiation of strategic directions for solving management issues.
 Research results. The level and quality of the provision of medical services characterizes the sustainable development of the country, because other areas cannot develop fully if the health care system is at a low level. The formation and development of strategic management is a significant part of corporate management not only of a manufacturing enterprise, but also of health care institutions, and it acquires an especially important role in the conditions of reforming medicine, with the aim of further obtaining social, therapeutic, financial and economic competitive advantages in the medical market services Without effective medical care, citizens are not interested in solving secondary problems, because the issue of preserving and maintaining health always comes first. With the spread of market development priorities, the management of medical facilities is gaining importance.
 Conclusion. Management of the strategic development of medical institutions is aimed at introducing new medical technologies, increasing the level of professional training of medical personnel of medical institutions, and improving the quality of medical care using the latest technologies.

Path analysis and empirical test of medical service enhancement for common prosperity under government participation.

The level of medical services is the link between the two strategic goals of "healthy China" and "common prosperity," and government participation plays an important adjustment role in it, so it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study its inner logic. In this paper, we firstly analyze the mechanism of medical service level to promote the development of common prosperity and the role of government in it; secondly, we construct a panel dynamic regression model and a threshold regression model to verify the relationship between the three. It is found that the contribution of both equity and efficiency of health care services to the achievement of common wealth is non-linear, and the degree of government participation plays an important adjustment role, with single and double threshold effects between them and the level of common prosperity, respectively. In the process of participating in the medical service market, the government should clearly position itself, actively play the demand-led role of the market, encourage private capital to provide quality medical services, and purposefully optimize the financial expenditure structure according to the local actual situation. There are many ways in which the government can be involved in health care, and there will be differences between China and other countries around the world. These are all worthy of further discussion.

SOME ASPECTS OF THE APPLICATION OF THE FREQUENCY- RESONANCE METHOD IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND NEUTRALIZATION OF PATHOGENS

Introduction: The method of bioresonance therapy is now quite widespread and occupies a certain and occupies a certain niche in the medical services market. The goal of the work: to study the possibility of using the frequency resonance method research for the detection of Bifidobacterium and Helicobacter pylori and the impact of frequency resonance on the biological environment.
 Materials and methods: The hardware complex was used in the work developed on the basis of the National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute» together with employees of the Institute of Applied Problems of Ecology, Geophysics and Geochemistry». On the basis of the clinical diagnostic laboratory of the State Institution of Science «Research and Practical Center of Preventive and Clinical Medicine» State Administrative Department of Ukraine conducted verification of Bifidobacterium and Helicobacter pylori in the in biological media, as well as the study of patients’ blood for sterility according to standard methods. In order to neutralize the pathogens identified during the laboratory the following frequency range was used to neutralize the pathogenic microorganisms detected during the laboratory Х81Х39.2ХХ2 Hz. (X – closed numbers, which will be removed after the protection of intellectual property rights of the authors).
 Results: Investigation of the possibility of verification of Bifidobacterium and Helicobacter pylori on photographs by frequency resonance method was carried out for the period from October 2021 to January 2022. Comparative analysis of the diagnostic value of the frequency resonance method in comparison with traditional standard methods used in the clinical and diagnostic laboratory of the State Institution of Science «Research and Practical Center of Preventive and Clinical Medicine» State Administrative Department of Ukraine showed a sufficiently high verification probability of more than 96 %.
 Conclusions: The research conducted requires more thorough additional study with the involvement of medical, biological, physical, and radiophysical scientists.

MANAGEMENT OF LOGISTICS ACTIVITIES OF PHARMACEUTICAL ENTERPRISES

The modern market of medical services and pharmaceutical products is saturated, in which many specialized enterprises of various forms of ownership operate. Under such conditions, the consumer focuses on those companies that satisfy his requests best. Any logistics processes, no matter whether they are internal or external, are always designed in such a way that a continuous flow of production materials is always maintained, ending with delivery to end consumers. The effective functioning of all logistics processes is a significant factor in the development of business, its work, the commitment of existing customers and the influx of new ones. It has been proven that the reputation of the company depends on how quickly, on time and in what form the necessary product or service is delivered, as well as whether the client will stay with this company or find another, and in the conditions of martial law, timely and high-quality transportation of vital products, such as food and water, medicines and other goods, are one of the most important processes among others, because an entire city can depend on the speed and volume of possible delivery, for example, of humanitarian aid. Therefore, for the effective and productive existence of the entire industry, it is extremely necessary for each subject of this field to perform its part of the work qualitatively, on time, and at a high level. In general, the high-quality and efficient work of the pharmaceutical industry has a direct impact on the well-being of the entire Ukrainian population. Therefore, it can be singled out that ensuring efficient logistics plays a very important role in the success of business and affects the company's reputation directly. Untimely delivered or damaged material or goods due to improper transportation conditions, lack of warehouse space or, on the contrary, the presence of excess warehouses that are not used, or any other problems related specifically to logistics processes can bring quite serious losses for the company, and sometimes, can cost many years of impeccable reputation. Keywords: logistics, pharmaceutical industry, company reputation, management, production tools.

Медицинский туризм в России: дизайн социологического исследования и прогноза

The article considers medical tourism in Russia as a social phenomenon. The design (development of a program, hypotheses, methodology) of sociological research is proposed, which involves understanding the existing and obtaining missing information about the investigated social phenomenon. In solving these problems, it is important to understand that the genesis and development of medical tourism are influenced by quite numerous social factors (often acting in directly opposite directions) that actualize social reality in the time period of one to two years ago. First of all, these are «covid» and «political» vectors of social processes. To develop a program for sociological research of the medical services market, it is important to keep in mind that tourists from the developed countries, where prices for similar services are much higher than in Russia, are more interested in them. The basic hypothesis of the resulting forecast today is formulated as follows: the Russian market for medical services currently and in the near future will become less attractive for foreign medical tourists than in previous years, in particular, due to the deterioration of the quality of the services provided and the rapid increase in prices for them. Domestic medical tourism will undergo both negative and positive changes. The promising branches of the medical services market in Russia are surgery and neurology. However, other areas of medicine both in the current period and in the medium term are in dire need and will need parallel import and import substitution.

Влияние эксклавности и уровня доходов населения на потребительские предпочтения пациентов на рынке медицинских услуг

The article presents the results of a qualitative analysis of the influence of exclavity and the level of income of the population on the consumer preferences of patients in the medical services market using the Kaliningrad region as an example. Economic disparity in access to healthcare services contributes to the psychographic stratification of healthcare consumer preferences. Territorial isolation from the country and the proximity of foreign countries leave an imprint on the social and economic life of the population of an exclave subject and commitment to medical tourism. M a t e r i a l s a n d m e t h o d s . In the period from September to November 2022, a one-time comparative study of consumer preferences for choosing a country and a medical organization in the medical services market of 773 working-age residents of the Russian Federation was planned and conducted. All respondents were stratified into two groups according to their place of residence: residents of the Central Federal District and the Kaliningrad Region. The groups were comparable in terms of gender and age. Methods used: open online survey, qualitative analysis, statistical. The significance of differences in the percentages of the trait was estimated by the Fisher angular transformation coefficient (φ) with a given confidence level of 95%. R e s u l t s . The influence of exclavity and income level on consumer preferences for choosing a medical organization has been established. The features of the priority motivators for the choice of public, private or foreign medical services of the respondents of the Kaliningrad region are revealed. The comfort of receiving medical services (“lack of queues”) was 1,4 times more likely to motivate the choice of private medicine among respondents in the Kaliningrad region compared to respondents in other regions. The demand for the services of private and foreign clinics in the exclave territory is proportional to the level of income. Medical tourism services were used by 28,7% of respondents from the exclave territory who prefer private medicine. C o n c l u s i o n . A distinctive feature of consumers of medical services in the exclave Kaliningrad region is the increase in demand for private medicine and treatment abroad in proportion to the increase in income levels. Respondents from the exclave territory are 1,4 times more likely to choose private clinics and 23,9 times more likely to use medical tourism services compared to residents of the Central Federal District. Every fourth respondent in the Kaliningrad region does not trust the quality of training of doctors in the Russian Federation. Transport accessibility of the EU countries, dissatisfaction with the level of training of medical personnel, the lack of a number of medical services in the Russian Federation, the ability to realize the desire to combine treatment with a trip abroad with a sufficient level of income of the population in the exclave region, along with a shortage of medical personnel in the subject, contribute to increasing the attractiveness of private medical organizations, import of medical services and outflow of patients abroad. Recommendations are given to increase the attractiveness of state medicine in the exclave territory.

Assessment of the regional private healthcare system and the impact of COVID-19 on patient behavior and demand in the market for paid medical services in Samara region

Assessment of the regional private healthcare system and the impact of COVID-19 on patient behavior and demand in the market for paid medical services in Samara region

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS

Purpose. The aim of the article is to generalize the tools for evaluating the effectiveness of health care institutions and develop theoretical and methodological recommendations for their application in order to develop sound management decisions for their successful functioning. Methodology of research. The following methods were used in the research process: theoretical generalization, induction and deduction, abstraction – to determine the conceptual basis of the economic analysis of the activity of health care institutions and methodical approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of their functioning; generalization – for formulating definitions of medical, social and economic efficiency and conclusions based on research results. Findings. The essence of medical, social and economic efficiency is revealed and the indicators used to evaluate them are determined. The necessity of carrying out an economic analysis of the activity of health care institutions is substantiated and its conceptual principles are established (purpose, tasks, methods, types, sources of information and organizational stages of its implementation). Indicators of the effectiveness of the medical institution as a whole and by the used resources (labour, material, financial) were determined. Specific methods of analysis of alternative methods of action of a medical facility are presented (cost minimization method, “cost-effectiveness” method, “cost-benefit” method, “cost-utility” method). Originality. The theoretical and methodological aspects of evaluating the effectiveness of the health care institution have gained further development. Practical value. The system of indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of health care institutions, substantiated by the results of the research, can be used to develop directions for improving their functioning in the market of medical services. Key words: efficiency, evaluation, health care facility, material resources, labour resources, financial resources, economic analysis.

Впровадження телекомунікаційних технологій у процес забезпечення медичного обслуговування

The article explores the theoretical and applied aspects of providing medical services by means of telecommunication technologies. The state of development and application of telecommunication technologies in the market of medical services over the world and in Ukraine is described. The methods of telecommunications, which are used in the modern system of medical care, are systematized. The key levers of influence on the effectiveness of medical care of the population through the introduction of telemedicine technologies are defined. The principles and directions of interaction of counterparties through the procedure for the provision of medical services are identified. The factors of influence and indicators that ensure the effectiveness of the provision of medical services are studied. The levels of management in the provision of medical care through telecommunication technologies are outlined. The main forms of regulation of the process of primary health care in Ukraine are characterized. The essence of the key forms of interaction of doctor – patient on the basis of telemedicine is defined. The structure of telemedicine methods that will provide an integrated approach to improving the level of medical care in the regions of Ukraine is specified. The introduction of telecommunication methods into the management system of medical institutions is proposed. Approaches and means of using telemedicine tools are summarized, taking into account the current state of development of the social sphere in Ukraine. The conditions for further integration of telecommunication technologies into the process of medical care of the population are substantiated.

The demand for competence and qualification of medical personnel in the light of the results of empirical studies

The demand for competence and qualification of medical personnel in the light of the results of empirical studies

Research of a Complex of Marketing Communications in the Market of Medical Services

The availability and quality of medical services affect the life expectancy of the population. In this regard, the study of the development of the medical services market is of particular relevance. The purpose of the study was to identify the main elements of the marketing communications complex in the regional medical market, determine their priority and propose methods for their development. The article examines the concept of communication; substantiates the need to introduce marketing communications in the healthcare sector; examines the main elements of the marketing communications complex in the Vladivostok medical services market by analyzing hierarchies; identifies their priorities, and proposes measures for their development.

ОКАЗАНИЕ МЕДИЦИНСКОЙ ПОМОЩИ СВЕРХ УСТАНОВЛЕННОГО ОБЪЕМА: ВЫПОЛНЕНИЕ ОБЯЗАТЕЛЬСТВ ПО ДОГОВОРУ ОБЯЗАТЕЛЬНОГО МЕДИЦИНСКОГО СТРАХОВАНИЯ ИЛИ С ПАЦИЕНТОМ

Significance. The issue of medical care delivery in excess of the established volume, including by private health sector operating under compulsory health insurance remains a challenge to the medical community. The subject of the study, on the one hand, was the overview of the current situation regarding medical organizations that submit registers of bills and invoices for medical services provided to the insured under the territorial program and insurance medical organizations that refuse to reimburse services in excess of the established volumes. On the other hand, the inability of a medical organization to refuse to provide medical care to citizens who have applied for care. The purpose of the study was to analyze the normative and legal acts that regulate legal relations between participants and subjects of the compulsory health insurance, indicating impossibility or difficulties for the parties to fulfill their obligations to ensure care delivery to the insured under the compulsory health insurance program. Material and methods. Material and methods of the study included an analytical review aimed at studying and analyzing the legal policy, current legal practice, current situation regarding place in the medical service market, including the private health sector, in order to answer the research question. Results. The conducted analysis shows that the main function of medical organizations is to provide medical care to the insured. At the same time, territorial funds are responsible for providing medical care to the insured under the federal compulsory health insurance program, and are to create all conditions to ensure availability of services. The federal legislation does not make the provision of free medical care to a citizen under the compulsory health insurance program dependable upon the planned total volume of services and guarantees the provision of free medical care to the insured in the compulsory health insurance system. When the planned volumes of medical care under the program of compulsory health insurance do not correspond to the actual demand, the excess of these volumes provided by a medical organization cannot be attributed to the financial results of its performance. Conclusion. The foregoing confirms the conclusions that medical services provided in excess of the established volumes are to be considered as insured events and are subject to reimbursement in the stated amount. Accordingly, they cannot be a restriction to realizing the powers to provide medical care to citizens under the program of state guarantees in cases where the volume of medical services provided exceeds the planned one, envisaged by the compulsory health insurance contract. This position will help avoid risks, including reputational ones, and prevent the organizations from filing a lawsuit.

РЫНОК ЧАСТНЫХ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ УСЛУГ НА МЕЗО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОМ УРОВНЕ: СТРУКТУРНО-ФАКТОРНЫЙ ПОДХОД

The article is devoted to the analysis of the state, problems and trends in the development of the regional market of commercial medicine, as well as the factors influencing it. Identified and structured 11 factors that affect the capacity of the private medical services market and the potential for its development at the mesoeconomic level in regions of the Russian Federation. The most significant factors influencing the market of private medical services have been established based on the use of a correlation-regression analysis of the relationships between them. Predictive linear regression models of the key components of the private medical services market in the region (market size and average bill) are built.

РОЗВИТОК ТА ФУНКЦІОНУВАННЯ РИНКУ МЕДИЧНИХ ПОСЛУГ В УМОВАХ ГЛОБАЛІЗАЦІЇ ТА ІНТЕГРАЦІЇ

The article reveals significant globalization trends of the world market of medical services and unites them into four groups: political (functioning of international organizations, activities of interstate non-governmental organizations and charitable foundations, exit of intellectual property rights protection procedures to the global level), economic (liberalization of trade in medical services , monopolization of the world pharmaceutical market by TNCs, formation of medical clusters), technological (intensification of information exchange, use of international standards of medical care, development of modern treatment methods, medical technologies and equipment) and social (international migration of medical specialists, internationalization of medical education, spread global epidemics). It was determined that these trends have a mostly positive impact on the development of the world market of medical services. One notes that the maximum possible use of the advantages of international cooperation to improve the quality of medical services, the transfer of innovative technologies, the acquisition and development of modern equipment and medicines, the introduction of modern treatment protocols with the simultaneous minimization of the negative consequences of globalization processes must be taken into account when developing strategic plans for transformation and development sphere of health care of Ukraine. The article identifies the negative manifestations of globalization: bureaucratic decision-making process by international organizations, stagnation of national health care systems as a result of the liberalization of trade in medical services, an increase in the general level of drug prices due to a significant level of monopolization of the international pharmaceutical market, a decrease in the number of the working population and shortages qualified workers as a result of labor migration and the internationalization of higher education, the emergence of economic and social crises due to the spread of infectious diseases, the need for significant amounts of investment for the introduction of modern technologies. One identifies the measures to minimize globalization risks: creating optimal conditions for the productive work of medical workers (salary, equipping workplaces, improving qualifications, protecting intellectual property rights, stimulating research and innovation), preventing stagnation in the field of health care by ensuring a constant flow of investment funds (insurance funds of state and non-state institutions, international grants, international cooperation programs, funds of charitable funds), constant improvement of the response system to natural and man-made emergencies.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ МЕДИКО-ТУРИСТИЧЕСКИХ КЛАСТЕРОВ В ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНОЙ СТРУКТУРЕ СФЕРЫ ЗДОРОВЬЕСБЕРЕЖЕНИЯ: ВОПРОСЫ МЕТОДОЛОГИИ И МЕТОДИКИ 19

The article deals with the theoretical, methodological, and procedural aspects of the cluster approach to the study ofmedical tourism: the choice of a place where a cluster can be created; search for partners in the formation and functioning of the cluster; development of a marketing strategy and qualified management. The paper highlights the advantages of clustering in medical tourism: medical tourism clusters ensure a synergistic effect in the provision of medical services, increase the region’s attractiveness for tourists, and ensure growing income of medical and health institutions. The shortcomings of the formation of medical tourism clusters include the risks of monopolization of the medical services market, of restrictions on competition, and of disproportions in the healthcare development. The negative impact of medical tourism clusters on the environment can be minimized – the main task in ensuring environmental safety is the disposal of medical waste and preventing it from entering water and air basins. The paper provides recommendations for potential patients to choose a cluster that would correspond to their request for medical care. It is shown that for a successful development of medical tourism, when creating clusters it is necessary to take into account potential challenges and eliminate real risks. A formula for calculating the medical tourism cluster index is proposed. It is noted that the formation of medical tourism clusters is a complex and multifaceted process that requires coordinated joint efforts and actions from all its participants. With a successful implementation of projects aimed at creating such high-tech clusters in countries and regions where medical tourism is developed, an economic effect can be obtained with minimal environmental impact. The paper also notes the need for the formation of centralized statistics on medical tourism.