Dictionary
The Dictionary provides concise definitions of health economics terms, arranged alphabetically for quick reference. Use it to understand unfamiliar terminology or confirm the meaning of a specific term.
#
- 15D15-Dimensional Instrument, 15-D
- A generic, multi-attribute quality of life instrument measuring fifteen health dimensions, each scored on five levels, combined into a single utility index.
- 340B Drug Pricing Program340B Drug Pricing Program, Section 340B
- A US federal programme requiring manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible organisations serving low-income populations at reduced prices.
A
- Abbreviated New Drug ApplicationANDA, Abbreviated NDA
- A streamlined US regulatory application letting a generic manufacturer gain approval by demonstrating bioequivalence to an approved reference drug, without repeating full trials.
- Ablation EconomicsEconomics of Ablation, Ablation Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to ablation procedures destroying targeted tissue, comparing procedural cost against long-term ongoing management or repeat interventions.
- AbsenteeismSickness Absence, Work Absence
- Time lost from work due to illness, injury, or caregiving responsibilities, resulting in a direct, measurable cost to employers through lost productivity.
- Absolute Effect MeasureAbsolute Difference, Arithmetic Effect Difference
- A measure of effect expressed as the actual difference between two groups, such as absolute risk reduction, rather than as a ratio.
- Absolute RiskAbsolute Probability, AR
- The probability that an individual in a defined population will experience a specific outcome over a given period, without reference to a comparison.
- Absolute Risk ReductionARR, Absolute Benefit Increase
- Absolute risk reduction is the arithmetic difference in the probability of a specified adverse outcome between a comparator group and an intervention group over the same defined time horizon.
- Absolute ShortfallAbsolute QALY Shortfall, AS
- Absolute shortfall is the difference in expected remaining QALYs between a matched general population and people with a specified condition receiving current care.
- Absorbing StateAbsorbing Health State, Absorbing Markov State
- A health state within a Markov model from which no further transitions are possible, most commonly death, once entered permanently.
- Academic DetailingEducational Outreach, Educational Outreach Visit
- An educational outreach approach in which trained professionals visit physicians to provide objective, evidence-based information improving prescribing and decision-making.
- Academic Expert in HTASubject-Matter Academic, Independent Academic Adviser
- A researcher with specialised subject matter expertise invited to contribute independent scientific perspective to a health technology assessment process.
- Academic HTA GroupAcademic Assessment Group, University HTA Team
- An independent, university-affiliated team commissioned to critically evaluate submitted evidence within a formal assessment, distinct from manufacturer-submitted evidence.
- Academic Medical CentreAcademic Health Centre, AMC
- A hospital or health system affiliated with a medical school, combining patient care with education and research activities.
- Accelerated ApprovalFast-Track Approval, Conditional Marketing Authorisation
- A regulatory pathway allowing a drug for a serious unmet need to gain approval based on a surrogate endpoint, with confirmatory trials required afterward.
- Accelerated Failure Time ModelAFT Model, AFT Regression
- A class of survival models assuming covariates act multiplicatively on time itself, speeding or slowing progression to an event, unlike a Cox model.
- Acceptability of HealthcarePatient-Provider Fit, Cultural Fit
- One of the five classical access dimensions, referring to how well patients' attitudes and expectations align with providers' actual characteristics and practices.
- Access AssessmentAccess Evaluation, Access Analysis
- A structured evaluation of how readily a population can obtain needed healthcare, examining the dimensions that link population characteristics to actual service use.
- Access BarrierBarrier to Access, Barrier to Healthcare Access, Barrier to Health Care Access
- Any factor impeding an individual's ability to obtain needed healthcare, spanning availability, affordability, accessibility, accommodation, and acceptability dimensions.
- Access NegotiationPayer Negotiation, Price-and-Terms Negotiation
- The process by which a supplier and payer or purchaser agree the price, reimbursement, eligibility and other conditions governing patient access to a health technology.
- Access PolicyHealthcare Access Policy, Health Care Access Policy
- A government or health system policy designed to improve individuals' ability to obtain needed healthcare, addressing dimensions such as affordability or availability.
- Access to CareHealthcare Access, Access to Healthcare
- A general term describing the ease with which individuals can obtain needed healthcare services, covering the classical access dimensions.
- Accountability for ReasonablenessA4R, Fair Priority-Setting Framework
- A framework for legitimate priority-setting holding that decisions should be transparent, reason-based, subject to challenge, and properly regulated.
- Accountability StandardsResearch Governance, Ethical Conduct Requirements
- The principles and requirements ensuring researchers and institutions can be held responsible for conducting studies ethically and in compliance with regulation.
- Accountable CarePopulation Accountability, Shared-Responsibility Care
- A delivery and payment model in which providers accept collective responsibility for cost and quality for a defined patient population.
- Accountable Care ModelACO Model, Shared-Savings Model
- A delivery model in which providers accept collective responsibility for cost and quality for a defined population, sharing savings or losses.
- Accountable Care OrganizationACO, Accountable Care Organisation
- A group of providers voluntarily coordinating to take collective responsibility for the cost and quality of care for a defined population.
- Acquired Treatment ResistanceDeveloped Resistance, Post-Treatment Resistance
- A reduction in a cancer treatment's effectiveness developing over time after an initial period of successful disease control, from tumour biological adaptation.
- Acquisition CostPurchase Cost, Invoice Cost
- The price a provider or payer pays to obtain a drug or medical product, before accounting for administration or monitoring costs.
- Active ChoiceMandated Choice, Forced Choice
- A choice architecture approach requiring an individual to make an explicit selection rather than passively accepting a default.
- Active ComparatorActive Control, Active Reference
- The existing treatment or standard of care against which a new intervention is compared in an economic evaluation.
- Active Control TrialActive-Controlled Trial, Head-to-Head Trial
- A trial comparing an experimental treatment against an existing active treatment already used in practice, rather than a placebo or no-treatment control.
- Active IngredientActive Pharmaceutical Ingredient, API
- The specific component of a pharmaceutical product responsible for its intended therapeutic effect, unlike inactive ingredients included for stability or ease of use.
- Active Life ExpectancyALE, Healthy Active Years
- A measure expressing the average years an individual is expected to live free of significant functional disability, unlike total life expectancy.
- Active SurveillanceExpectant Monitoring, Structured Monitoring
- A management strategy for slow-growing cancers, most notably some prostate cancer cases, involving close monitoring rather than immediate definitive treatment.
- Active TreatmentInvestigational Treatment, Active Arm Treatment
- The intervention under investigation in a trial intended to have a genuine pharmacological or therapeutic effect, unlike a placebo or inactive comparator.
- Activities of Daily LivingADL, Self-Care Tasks
- A standardised set of basic self-care tasks, such as bathing and dressing, used to assess an individual's functional independence.
- Activity ImpairmentDaily-Task Impairment, Non-Work Impairment
- A measure of how much a health condition interferes with an individual's ability to perform regular daily activities outside paid work.
- Activity LimitationActivity Restriction, Task Difficulty
- A difficulty an individual has in executing a task or action, such as walking, as classified within the WHO framework for functioning and disability.
- Activity-Based BudgetingABB, Activity-Driven Budget
- A budgeting method that allocates costs according to the specific activities needed to deliver a service, rather than historical spending.
- Activity-Based CostingABC, Activity Costing
- Activity-based costing is a costing method that assigns resource costs to activities through causal cost drivers and then traces activity costs to services, patients, or other cost objects according to their use of those activities.
- Activity-Based FundingABF, Activity-Based Payment
- A hospital funding model allocating resources based on the volume and type of clinical activities performed, rather than a fixed historical budget.
- Actual CostRealised Cost, Realized Cost, Observed Cost, Incurred Cost
- The real, measured expense incurred delivering a healthcare service, based on observed resource use and prices, unlike a standard or estimated cost.
- Actuarial AnalysisActuarial Assessment, Insurance Risk Analysis
- The application of statistical methods to assess and quantify financial risk, such as the expected future cost of insurance claims.
- Actuarial MethodActuarial Life-Table, Cohort Life-Table Estimation
- A technique estimating survival probabilities by dividing follow-up into fixed intervals and calculating the proportion surviving each, accounting for those lost to follow-up.
- Actuarial ProjectionActuarial Forecast, Claims Projection
- An actuarial projection is a conditional estimate of future benefits, costs, revenues, or liabilities for a defined population or scheme using demographic, economic, and experience-based assumptions.
- Actuarial ValueAV, Metal-Tier Coverage Level
- A measure representing the percentage of average healthcare costs a health plan is expected to cover for a standard population.
- Acute Coronary SyndromeACS, Coronary Event
- A spectrum of conditions from sudden reduced blood flow to the heart, covering unstable angina and myocardial infarction, requiring urgent treatment.
- Adaptive Study DesignProspectively Adaptive Study, Flexible Study Design
- A study design allowing prospectively planned modifications, such as changes in sample size, based on accumulating data without undermining its validity.
- Adaptive Trial DesignAdaptive Trial, Flexible Trial Design
- An adaptive trial design prospectively specifies how accumulating trial data may trigger changes to the trial while preserving interpretable and valid inference for its stated research questions.