Dictionary

B

BlindingConceptMasking, Treatment Masking, Single-Blind, Triple-Blind

Blinding (masking) keeps trial participants, clinicians, assessors or analysts unaware of assignment, limiting bias in effect, utility and cost estimates.

Block RandomizationConceptBlock Randomisation, Permuted Block Randomisation, Random Permuted Blocks

Block randomisation assigns participants in small blocks with set numbers per arm in random order, keeping arms balanced throughout trials that inform HTA.

Blood IncompatibilityTermABO Incompatibility, Transfusion Incompatibility

A serious, generally preventable safety event where a patient receives a transfusion incompatible with their blood type, risking severe immune reaction.

Body of EvidenceConceptEvidence Body, Overall Evidence

A body of evidence is all studies on one outcome of a guideline or HTA question, judged together; GRADE rates certainty as high, moderate, low or very low.

Bond FinancingConceptHealthcare Bonds, Debt Financing

Bond financing is borrowing for health by issuing bonds, debt repaid with interest over many years, so hospitals and other large costs can be paid for now.

Boost InterventionTermBoosting, Competence-Building Intervention

An intervention that strengthens a person's own decision-making skills, such as statistical literacy, rather than changing the choice environment.

Bootstrap Standard ErrorConceptBootstrapped SE, Resampled Standard Error

Bootstrap standard error is the standard deviation of an estimate, such as mean trial cost, recalculated across many resamples of the observed data.

BootstrappingConceptBootstrapping Method, Bootstrap Resampling

Bootstrapping is a resampling method that estimates sampling uncertainty in trial costs, QALYs and net benefit from patient samples drawn with replacement.

Borrowing For HealthConceptHealth-Related Borrowing, Medical Debt Borrowing

Borrowing for health is when a household takes on debt to pay for health care, a coping strategy that signals weak financial risk protection.

Bottom-Up Cost-of-IllnessConceptBottom-Up COI

Bottom-Up Cost-of-Illness estimates a disease's economic burden by valuing patient-level resource use at unit costs and scaling it to the population.

Bottom-Up CostingConceptIngredient-Based Costing, Patient-Level Costing

Bottom-up costing estimates the cost of care by recording each patient's use of resources and multiplying every item by its unit cost.

Bounded Rationality ConceptConceptBounded Rationality, Satisficing

The bounded rationality concept holds that patients, clinicians and payers with limited information, time and computation settle for good enough options.

Brain DrainConceptHealth Worker Emigration, Workforce Outflow

Brain drain is the emigration of trained health workers from poorer to richer countries, costing source countries their care and publicly funded training.

BranchTermTree Pathway, Outcome Pathway

A pathway within a decision tree representing one of the possible outcomes or choices available at a given node.

Branching LogicConceptPathway Logic, Model Routing Logic

Branching logic is the set of if-then rules that route a health survey respondent, or a patient in a decision model, by earlier answers or chance events.

Brand NameTermBrand-Name Drug, Originator Brand

The proprietary trademarked name under which a manufacturer markets a specific drug product, unlike its generic, non-proprietary chemical name.

Brand TierTermBrand Drug Tier, Branded Formulary Tier

A formulary category for brand-name drugs within a tiered insurance design, typically carrying higher cost-sharing than generic drugs in a lower tier.

Break-Even AnalysisConceptBreakeven Analysis, Cost-Volume Analysis

Break-even analysis finds the price, effect or volume at which a health technology or service becomes cost-effective, cost-neutral or self-financing.

Break-Even PointTermBreakeven Point, Zero-Profit Point

The level of output or activity at which total revenue equals total cost, so an organisation neither gains nor loses money.

Breakthrough DesignationTermBreakthrough Status, Expedited-Review Designation

A regulatory designation for a drug treating a serious condition when preliminary evidence suggests substantial improvement over existing therapies, giving more intensive regulatory guidance.

Breakthrough SeriesTermIHI Collaborative Model, Learning Collaborative Series

A structured quality improvement methodology in which multiple organisations collaborate over a defined period, sharing learning to accelerate a common improvement goal.

Breakthrough TherapyTermBreakthrough Treatment, Breakthrough Drug

A treatment granted a regulatory designation for preliminary evidence of substantial improvement over existing therapies for a serious condition, qualifying for expedited review.

Breast Cancer ScreeningConceptMammography Screening, Breast Screening

Breast Cancer Screening is regular mammography of women without symptoms to cut deaths, judged economically against overdiagnosis and cost per QALY.

Bridge TherapyTermBridging Therapy, Bridging Treatment

A treatment given to stabilise a patient's condition during the interval before a more definitive treatment, such as a transplant, can be performed.

Brier ScoreConceptBrier Loss, Probability Score

The Brier score is the mean squared difference between predicted risks and observed binary outcomes, used to judge prediction models; lower is better.

Broad NetworkTermBroad Provider Network, Wide Network

An insurance plan design including a large number of contracted providers, offering enrollees greater choice than a narrower network plan.

Bronze PlanTermBronze Tier Plan, Bronze Metal Plan

A US Affordable Care Act marketplace plan category with a relatively low actuarial value, around sixty percent, giving lower premiums but higher cost-sharing.

Budget AllocationConceptBudget Distribution, Fund Allocation

Budget allocation is the division of a fixed health budget between areas or programmes, using needs-based formulae, priority setting or optimisation.

Budget AmendmentTermBudget Revision, Budget Modification

A formal revision to an approved budget made after the budget cycle has begun, usually to reflect unexpected cost or demand changes.

Budget ApprovalConceptBudget Authorisation, Budget Sign-Off

The authorised decision to allocate or permit specified spending for a defined health purpose, budget holder and period, often with explicit conditions.

Budget CapConceptBudget Ceiling, Programme Spending Cap, Spending Cap, Reimbursement Cap, Payer Spending Limit, Global Cap, Aggregate Spending Cap, Total Expenditure Ceiling, Sector Cap, Sector Spending Limit, Sectoral Ceiling

Budget cap is a preset ceiling on what a payer will spend on a sector, provider or medicines bill, enforced by fixed budgets, tariff cuts or rebates.

Budget ConstraintConceptSpending Limit, Fiscal Constraint

Budget constraint is the limit that a fixed budget and given costs place on what can be bought, so funding one health programme means forgoing another.

Budget ControlConceptSpending Oversight, Budget Adherence

Budget control is the in-year monitoring of health spending against an approved budget, tracing variances to price or volume and acting to stay within it.

Budget CycleConceptBudgeting Cycle, Budget Process

Budget Cycle is the yearly sequence of formulation, approval, execution and review by which government health budgets are set, spent and audited.

Budget EnvelopeConceptFunding Envelope, Spending Envelope, Financing Block, Funding Block, Block Allocation

Budget Envelope is the fixed total set in advance for a health sector, programme or fund, within which detailed spending and coverage choices must fit.

Budget ExecutionConceptBudget Implementation, Budget Disbursement

Budget execution is the stage of the budget cycle in which an approved health budget is released, committed and spent, tracked by its execution rate.

Budget FlexibilityTermBudgetary Flexibility, Budget Adjustability

The degree to which a budget can be adjusted in response to changing circumstances without formal reapproval.

Budget HolderTermBudget Manager, Fundholder

An individual or department with formal responsibility for managing a defined portion of an organisation's budget.

Budget ImpactConceptBudgetary Impact, Spending Impact

Budget impact is the change in spending a budget holder can expect from adopting a health technology or policy, estimated by budget impact analysis.

Budget Impact AnalysisConceptBIA, Budget Impact Assessment

Budget impact analysis (BIA) estimates how adopting a new health technology would change spending for a particular budget holder over the next few years.

Budget Impact CriterionTermBudget-Impact Threshold Criterion, BIA Criterion

A standard determining whether a new technology's projected budget impact is significant enough to warrant additional scrutiny or a modified pathway.

Budget Impact ModelConceptBIM, Budget Impact Spreadsheet

Budget Impact Model is the calculation tool that forecasts a payer's yearly spending with and without a new health technology, usually over 1 to 5 years.

Budget Impact ModellingConceptBudget Impact Modeling, BIA Modelling

Budget impact modelling is the practice of building, testing and documenting a model of how a new health technology changes a payer's yearly spending.

Budget JustificationTermFunding Justification, Budget Rationale

A formal explanation supporting a requested level of funding, setting out anticipated costs, expected outcomes, and the case for the resources.

Budget MonitoringTermBudgetary Monitoring, Spending Monitoring

The ongoing tracking of actual spending against an approved budget to identify variances and inform corrective action.

Budget OverrunTermCost Overrun, Budget Overspend

Spending that exceeds the amount allocated in an approved budget, typically requiring explanation, reallocated funds, or a formal amendment.

Budget PlanningConceptBudgetary Planning, Fiscal Planning

Budget planning is forecasting a health organisation's activity, costs and income for the next period and setting a spending plan before approval.

Budget RequestTermFunding Request, Budget Submission

A formal proposal submitted by a department or programme seeking a specified allocation of funds for an upcoming budget period.

Budget ReviewTermBudgetary Review, Budget Performance Review

A periodic evaluation of budget performance, comparing actual spending and outcomes against the original budget plan.

Budget TransferTermVirement, Fund Reallocation

The reallocation of approved funds from one budget line or department to another within the same fiscal period.