Cost-Effectiveness Acceptability Curve Explorer

Explore how probabilistic model results become probabilities of being cost-effective across willingness-to-pay thresholds.

Set the analysis

Changes the spread of synthetic costs and effects, not their expected values.
More draws reduce visible Monte Carlo noise.

Illustrative alternatives

Standard care is the reference. Programme A has moderate added cost and health gain. Programme B has greater expected cost and health gain.

This seeded synthetic example is for learning. It does not represent clinical or reimbursement evidence.

Probability each alternative is cost-effective

Cost-effectiveness acceptability curvesThree curves showing the probability that each alternative has the highest net monetary benefit across thresholds.
Standard careProgramme AProgramme BSelected threshold
How to interpret the CEAC
Net monetary benefit for option j in simulation s = (threshold × effectjs) − costjs
  • At each threshold, the option with the highest simulated net monetary benefit is counted as cost-effective.
  • Each curve reports that option's share of wins across all simulations. The probabilities sum to 100% at every threshold.
  • The CEAC describes decision uncertainty. It does not show the size of gains or losses when an option wins or loses.
  • The decision rule remains to select the option with the highest expected net benefit, not automatically the highest probability of being cost-effective.
  • A CEAC does not measure affordability, budget impact, equity, clinical appropriateness or structural uncertainty omitted from the model.