Consultancy to Quantify Health Spending Inefficiencies in Latin America/Caribbean

Post of Duty: Washington DC

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile and passionate people, united to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Those who work with us find purpose and do what they love most in an inclusive, collaborative, agile and rewarding environment.

The IDB’s Social Protection and Health Division (SPH) has a multidisciplinary team convinced that investing in people is the way to improve lives and overcome the development challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this sense, its goal is to promote the social inclusion of people who live in situations of poverty and vulnerability, as well as to support minimum consumption levels of the population in extreme poverty through schemes that favor the development of the capacities of this group. 

About this position

The Social Protection and Health Division (SCL/SPH) of the IDB is seeking a consultant to develop a methodology and conduct a study to identify and quantify the main sources of inefficiencies in health spending in a selected country in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The study should analyze the underlying causes of these inefficiencies and propose actionable policy recommendations.

What you’ll do

1. Review relevant studies, reports, and methodologies that assess and quantify inefficiencies in health spending, drawing from organizations such as WHO, OECD, PAHO, and the World Bank, as well as academic research. Emphasize tools and frameworks that have successfully been able to quantify the financial cost associated with inefficiencies.
2. Conduct a literature review, covering both peer-reviewed and “gray” literature on studies that estimate inefficiency-related or waste-related costs in LAC countries. This review should include data from interventions shown to reduce these costs. This review should encompass inefficiencies across multiple domains of the health system, including but not limited to: (i) medicines; (ii) health services; (iii) health workers; (iv) health interventions and technologies; (v) and health system organization. Examples of such domains are available in Annex 1. The methodology outlined in the referenced study may serve as a guide (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2752664).
3. Based on the findings of the literature review, identify approximately three countries where data availability is sufficiently robust to implement appropriate methods to assess and quantity inefficiencies. Review the publicly available data through these countries’ health information systems (such as Brazil’s DATASUS). Collaborate with the IDB team to determine the best country for further study based on strategic priorities and data accessibility.
4. For the selected country, design a methodology to conduct a study that quantifies the financial cost associated with identified inefficiencies across the selected domains. Ultimately, the proposed analysis should estimate financial losses attributable to inefficiencies such as stockouts, absenteeism, and overuse of diagnostics, procedures, and treatments (to provide a few examples).

Deliverables and Payments Timeline

The table below details the main deliverables expected in the context of this consultancy, as well as the proposed payment schedule.

Deliverable #

Percentage

Planned Date to Submit

Deliverable 1: A report summarizing the findings from the initial review of existing studies. All studies reviewed must be submitted as part of the product.

15%

12/31/2024

Deliverable 2: A report summarizing the literature review, highlighting its key findings. All studies and data reviewed must be submitted as part of the product.

35%

1/31/2025

Deliverable 3: A detailed proposed outlining the methodology to quantify the financial costs of inefficiencies in the selected country, including the rationale behind the selection of the country.

50%

2/28/2025

What you’ll need

• Education: master’s degree in health economics, public health (with a focus on health systems, policy, or health financing), health administration, public policy (with a specialization in health policy or health systems) or a related field. A Ph.D. in health economics, health policy, or public health is highly desirable.
• Experience: At least 10 years of professional experience in the health sector, with a strong focus on health economics, health financing, health systems analysis, or healthcare management. The ideal candidate should have a proven track record of analyzing and addressing inefficiencies within health systems. The ideal candidate should have conducted similar studies. Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, with demonstrated experience in data collection and analysis, qualitative methods, and data-driven approaches (e.g., econometric models, statistical analysis). Proven ability to develop actionable policy recommendations, based on the analysis of health system inefficiencies, that are feasible within the local political, economic, and healthcare context.
• Languages: Proficiency in Spanish and English, spoken and written, is required. Additional knowledge of French and Portuguese is preferable.

Key skills

• Expertise in health systems analysis, particularly in assessing inefficiencies.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, with demonstrated experience in health expenditure analysis.
• Familiarity with the health systems of LAC countries.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to present technical findings to non-specialist audiences.
• Learn continuously.
• Collaborate and share knowledge.
• Focus on clients.
• Communicate and influence.
• Innovate and try new things.

Requirements

• Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries.
• Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

• Type of contract: Product External Consultant (PEC).
• Location: Remote.
• Length of contract: 25 non-consecutive days in 5 months.

Our culture

At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application. 

About the IDB Group

The IDB Group, composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the IDB Lab offers flexible financing solutions to its member countries to finance economic and social development through lending and grants to public and private entities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

About IDB

We work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through financial and technical support for countries working to reduce poverty and inequality, we help improve health and education and advance infrastructure. Our aim is to achieve development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way. With a history dating back to 1959, today we are the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. We provide loans, grants, and technical assistance; and we conduct extensive research. We maintain a strong commitment to achieving measurable results and the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability.

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• https://www.facebook.com/IADB.org
• https://twitter.com/the_IDB

Additional Information

• External Opening Date: Oct 8, 2024
• External Closing Date: Oct 28, 2024
• External Contact Email: hrsc@iadb.org
• External Contact Name: HR Service Center
• Job Field: Technical Support

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