Apply the comparison correctly
Enter expected costs and health effects for the same population, perspective and time horizon. The lab calculates intervention minus comparator, checks dominance, and uses incremental net monetary benefit (INMB) to give a consistent threshold-based interpretation across all four quadrants.
Results
Incremental cost (ΔC)—
Incremental effect (ΔE)—
Quadrant—
Dominance—
ICER—
INMB—
Enter values and calculate to see a conditional interpretation.
Cost-effectiveness plane
Calculated comparisonThreshold line
Interpretation safeguard: A ratio sign is never enough. A negative ICER can represent either a dominant intervention or a dominated intervention.
Method and assumptions
ΔC = intervention cost − comparator cost
ΔE = intervention effect − comparator effect
ICER = ΔC ÷ ΔE
INMB = (threshold × ΔE) − ΔC
ΔE = intervention effect − comparator effect
ICER = ΔC ÷ ΔE
INMB = (threshold × ΔE) − ΔC
- The example values are synthetic and do not describe a real technology or decision.
- The costs and effects must use consistent populations, perspectives, time horizons and price bases.
- The tool suppresses the ICER when strict dominance settles the comparison or when incremental effect is zero or too close to zero for a stable ratio.
- A positive INMB supports the intervention on cost-effectiveness grounds at the stated threshold; it does not establish affordability or guarantee adoption.
- This educational tool does not model uncertainty, budget impact or patient-level outcomes and must not be used as a complete reimbursement analysis.