Managerial economics, with its specificity, provides a special insight into the management of private health care institutions. According to the sources of the Financial Agency (FINA) and the national classification of activities (8622 and 8610), the observed industry in the Republic of Croatia in 2020 contains 675 entities, out of which 9 are in special private hospitals (8610), and others are in specialist medical practice (8622). The effectiveness of managers in conditions of uncertainty and increased risk is reflected in the availability of information and their experience in similar situations. Precisely the lack of information that was present at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates the effective strategic thinking of managers (owners) of the observed institutions who responded in a timely manner to market needs in these conditions. In doing so, they acted as a substitute for specialist health care because it was not able to provide adequate service to the required extent. Key words: managerial economics, private health care, COVID-19 pandemic, company, market structure