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.
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- 15DConcept15-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 ProgramConcept340B 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 ApplicationConceptANDA, 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 EconomicsTermEconomics 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.
- AbsenteeismConceptSickness 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 MeasureTermAbsolute 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 RiskConceptAbsolute 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 ReductionConceptARR, 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 ShortfallConceptAbsolute QALY Shortfall, AS
- Absolute shortfall is the future QALYs lost with a condition under current care versus the age- and sex-matched population, used by NICE to judge severity.
- Absorbing StateConceptAbsorbing Health State, Absorbing Markov State
- An absorbing state is a state in a Markov model that patients cannot leave once they enter it, usually death, so the whole cohort eventually ends there.
- Academic DetailingConceptEducational Outreach, Educational Outreach Visit
- Academic detailing is educational outreach in which trained clinicians visit prescribers to give independent, evidence-based advice about medicines.
- Academic Expert in HTATermSubject-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 GroupTermAcademic 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 CentreTermAcademic Health Centre, AMC
- A hospital or health system affiliated with a medical school, combining patient care with education and research activities.
- Accelerated ApprovalConceptFast-Track Approval, Conditional Marketing Authorisation
- Accelerated approval is an FDA pathway that approves medicines for serious conditions on a surrogate endpoint, with confirmatory trials to verify benefit.
- Accelerated Failure Time ModelConceptAFT Model, AFT Regression
- An accelerated failure time (AFT) model is a survival model in which treatment or another factor stretches or shrinks time to an event by a time ratio.
- Acceptability of HealthcareConceptPatient-Provider Fit, Cultural Fit
- Acceptability is the dimension of access concerned with whether people find health services culturally, socially and personally appropriate enough to use.
- Access AssessmentTermAccess 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 BarrierConceptBarrier to Access, Barrier to Healthcare Access, Barrier to Health Care Access
- An access barrier is any obstacle, such as cost, distance, waiting lists or discrimination, that prevents or delays a person obtaining needed healthcare.
- Access NegotiationConceptPayer Negotiation, Price-and-Terms Negotiation
- Access negotiation is the process in which a health technology supplier and a payer agree the price, eligibility and other conditions for patient access.
- Access PolicyConceptHealthcare Access Policy, Health Care Access Policy
- Access policy is the set of government or health system measures, such as coverage, user charges and waiting time rules, that shape access to healthcare.
- Access to CareConceptHealthcare Access, Access to Healthcare
- Access to care is the opportunity to obtain appropriate healthcare when needed, given the availability, location, cost and acceptability of services.
- Accountability for ReasonablenessConceptA4R, Fair Priority-Setting Framework
- Accountability for reasonableness (A4R) is a fair-process framework for health priority setting: publicity, relevance, revisability and enforcement.
- Accountability StandardsTermResearch 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 CareTermPopulation 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 ModelTermACO 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 OrganizationConceptACO, Accountable Care Organisation
- An accountable care organization (ACO) is a provider group that shares in savings if its patients' spending beats a benchmark and quality targets are met.
- Acquired Treatment ResistanceConceptDeveloped Resistance, Post-Treatment Resistance
- Acquired treatment resistance is the loss of a cancer treatment's effect after initial response or disease control, as the tumour adapts and progresses.
- Acquisition CostConceptPurchase Cost, Invoice Cost
- Acquisition cost is what a payer spends to buy a drug, at the price actually paid after any discounts, excluding administration and monitoring costs.
- Active ChoiceConceptMandated Choice, Forced Choice
- Active choice is a choice architecture design that asks people to state a decision, such as on organ donation or vaccination, instead of setting a default.
- Active ComparatorConceptActive Control, Active Reference
- An active comparator is an existing treatment, rather than placebo, that a new health technology is compared with in HTA and economic evaluation.
- Active Control TrialConceptActive-Controlled Trial, Head-to-Head Trial
- An active control trial is a randomised trial testing a new treatment against a known effective treatment, not placebo, for superiority or non-inferiority.
- Active IngredientTermActive 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 ExpectancyConceptALE, Healthy Active Years
- Active life expectancy (ALE) is the average number of years a person of a given age can expect to live free of dependency in activities of daily living.
- Active SurveillanceTermExpectant 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 TreatmentTermInvestigational 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 LivingConceptADL, Self-Care Tasks
- Activities of daily living (ADL) are basic self-care tasks, such as bathing, dressing, toileting and eating, used to measure dependence and need for care.
- Activity ImpairmentTermDaily-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 LimitationConceptActivity Restriction, Task Difficulty
- Activity limitation is a difficulty a person has in carrying out a task or action, such as walking, washing or communicating, as defined in the WHO ICF.
- Activity-Based BudgetingConceptABB, Activity-Driven Budget
- Activity-based budgeting (ABB) builds a health service budget from forecast service volumes, the activities each needs and each activity's cost per unit.
- Activity-Based CostingConceptABC, Activity Costing
- Activity-based costing (ABC) is a method that assigns resource costs to activities, then to patients or services in proportion to the activities they use.
- Activity-Based FundingConceptABF, Activity-Based Payment
- Activity-based funding (ABF) pays hospitals a preset, case-mix-weighted price for each episode of care, so income follows patient numbers and complexity.
- Actual CostTermRealised 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 AnalysisConceptActuarial Assessment, Insurance Risk Analysis
- Actuarial analysis uses probability and statistics to estimate expected health insurance claims for pricing premiums or contributions and holding reserves.
- Actuarial ProjectionConceptActuarial Forecast, Claims Projection
- Actuarial projection estimates future health spending, insurance claims or fund balances for a population from assumptions on demography, costs and policy.
- Actuarial ValueConceptAV, Metal-Tier Coverage Level
- Actuarial value (AV) is the share of the total allowed cost of covered care that a health plan is expected to pay for a standard population.
- Acute Coronary SyndromeTermACS, Coronary Event
- A spectrum of conditions from sudden reduced blood flow to the heart, covering unstable angina and myocardial infarction, requiring urgent treatment.
- Adaptive Trial DesignConceptAdaptive Trial, Flexible Trial Design, Adaptive Study Design, Prospectively Adaptive Study, Flexible Study Design
- Adaptive trial design is a trial plan whose prespecified rules let interim data change the trial, such as stopping early, while keeping inference valid.
- Adaptive Value of InformationConceptAdaptive Value of Information, Sequential Value of Information
- Adaptive value of information applies VOI analysis to staged research, re-valuing further data at each interim look to decide whether to continue.
- Add-On TherapyTermAdd-On Treatment, Adjunctive Therapy
- A treatment given in addition to existing baseline therapy, rather than replacing it, typically when the baseline alone gives inadequate control.