Marcos conceptuales de rendición de cuentas en el sector salud

Abstract

This paper summarizes the main accountability frameworks as applied directly or indirectly to the healthcare sector. It starts with three general frameworks used in the public administration theory, then describes frameworks applied to the provision of public services, and ends with frameworks applied to the medical profession. Specifically ir reviews frameworks for the individual, the hospital, and the provision of primary care and community care. It concludes that the main challenges to design the right accountability framework for healthcare for any given society are: information asymmetry, competing incentives between public and private providers, and lack of institutional capacity of providers and regulators. It is also found that the professional accountability framework is the best alternative, provided that the context is right for its full implementation.