Professor Francesco Moscone
Professor

The fact remains that anything we do in life will never be entirely risk-free. However, what we can strive for is risk reduction. Transitioning from excessive alcohol intake (defined as consuming, on average, more than half a liter of wine a day) to moderate drinking may not eliminate the risk of certain liver-related diseases, but it can significantly reduce those risks. Similarly, the well-known fact that tobacco consumption claims millions of lives worldwide each year emphasises the potential life-saving impact of adults switching to reduced-risk products like vaping. Moreover, a sedentary lifestyle, spending most of the day on the sofa, is detrimental to health and increases the likelihood of developing numerous chronic pathologies. Engaging in physical exercise is recommended to counteract these risks. Interestingly, transitioning toward various reduced-risk behaviors not only saves lives but also proves to be financially advantageous. My recent published work demonstrates that in Italy, we could save over one billion euros annually in the National Health Services by promoting physical exercise, reducing wine consumption, and encouraging the switch to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.Furthermore, another scientific study of mine revealed that if half of the smokers in England transitioned to vaping, the NHS could save more than a billion pounds each year. This presents a unique opportunity in the public health sector to free up resources, which could be reinvested to revitalise the healthcare system. Such a strategy offers an alternative approach to making the NHS more resilient against shocks like Covid-19 and addressing urgent health issues such as rising waiting times. 

I've also been exploring healthcare system sustainability from the supply side. My research delves into the connection between hospital quality and health expenditure. It's uncertain whether augmenting health resources, such as having more physicians, will invariably enhance people's health. Conversely, increased spending might  increase mortality rates in cases of inefficiency. Recent findings underscore the significance of adopting medical technologies, like increasing the use of aspirins, beta blockers, and statins for patients with cardiovascular issues, to potentially save more lives. 

These research areas cover a broad spectrum of health economics and healthcare management, offering valuable insights into the financial aspects of healthcare and social care systems. In these fields I contribute to evidence-based policymaking and the development of efficient and sustainable healthcare systems