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.
C
- Cross-ValidationConceptOut-of-Sample Validation, Resampling Validation
- Cross-validation is a resampling procedure that repeatedly trains a predictive model on one part of a dataset and evaluates it on held-out observations to estimate performance under a specified data-splitting scheme.
- Crossover DesignConceptCrossover Trial Design, Within-Subject Design
- A crossover design assigns each participant to receive two or more interventions in a planned sequence, so the same person contributes outcome data under multiple treatments.
- Crossover TrialConceptCross-Over Trial, Within-Subject Trial
- A trial in which participants sequentially receive two or more treatments under comparison, with each participant's response compared against their own.
- CrosswalkConceptScore Mapping, Instrument Mapping
- A statistical mapping converting health state scores from one version of an instrument to an equivalent score on another version.
- Crowding InTermCrowd In, Public-Private Complementarity
- A phenomenon in which public spending or intervention stimulates additional private sector activity or investment, rather than displacing it.
- Crowding OutTermCrowd Out, Public-Private Displacement
- A phenomenon in which public spending or intervention displaces private sector activity that would otherwise have occurred, reducing the programme's net effect.
- Crude CoverageTermUnadjusted Coverage, Raw Coverage Rate
- A basic measure of the proportion of a target population receiving a service, without adjustment for its quality or timing, unlike effective coverage.
- Cryptococcosis EconomicsTermCryptococcal Infection Economics, Cryptococcal Meningitis Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to cryptococcal fungal infections, which can cause severe illness particularly in immunocompromised patients such as those with advanced HIV.
- Cubic SplineConceptPiecewise Cubic, Smooth Spline Fit
- A cubic spline represents a curve with separate cubic polynomials joined at selected points called knots.
- Cultural BarrierTermCultural Access Barrier, Cultural Obstacle
- An obstacle to healthcare arising from differences between a patient's cultural beliefs or practices and those embedded in the healthcare system.
- Cumulative HazardConceptIntegrated Hazard, Accumulated Hazard
- Cumulative hazard, H(t), is the hazard rate summed over time in survival models. Survival equals exp(-H(t)), and unlike a probability H(t) can exceed 1.
- Cumulative IncidenceConceptIncidence Risk, Cumulative Risk Measure
- Cumulative incidence is the probability that a person initially at risk experiences a specified new event within a defined time interval.
- Curative Model UncertaintyTermCure-Duration Uncertainty, Curative-Effect Uncertainty
- The uncertainty surrounding a model's assumption about how long a one-time treatment's curative effect will last, given trial follow-up far shorter than the modelled lifetime.
- Curative TherapyTermCurative Treatment, Curative Intent Therapy, Definitive Therapy
- A treatment intended to permanently eliminate a disease rather than merely manage its symptoms or slow its progression.
- Cure FractionConceptCure Rate, Cured Proportion
- A cure fraction is the model-estimated proportion of a population whose long-term risk from a specified disease-related event becomes negligible under an explicitly defined statistical cure assumption.
- Cure Fraction ModelConceptCured-Fraction Survival Model, Split-Population Model
- A survival model separating a population into a cured subgroup facing only background mortality and an uncured subgroup remaining at risk of the disease event.
- Cure ModelConceptStatistical Cure Model, Cure-Fraction Model, Survival Cure Model
- A cure model is a survival model that represents a subgroup whose disease-related excess event risk eventually disappears while accounting for the remaining risk specified by the model.
- Cure Rate ModelConceptCure-Rate Survival Model, Bounded Cumulative Hazard Model
- A cure rate model is a survival model that estimates the cure fraction and survival of uncured patients, used in HTA to extrapolate long-term survival.
- Currency ConversionTermExchange-Rate Conversion, Currency Translation
- The translation of cost or price data from one national currency into another, typically using exchange rates or purchasing power parity.
- Current Health ExpenditureTermCurrent Health Spending, Recurrent Health Expenditure
- A standardised measure of total spending on healthcare goods and services within a period, excluding capital investment.
- Current Procedural TerminologyTermCPT, CPT Codes
- A standardised US coding system describing medical, surgical, and diagnostic services for billing and administrative purposes.
- Current RatioTermWorking Capital Ratio, Short-Term Solvency Ratio
- A financial ratio calculated as current assets divided by current liabilities, used to assess an organisation's ability to meet short-term obligations.
- Curve FittingConceptFunction Fitting, Model Fitting
- Curve fitting is the estimation of parameters in a chosen mathematical function so that its predictions approximate observed data under a specified fitting criterion.
- Customary ChargeTermCustomary Fee, Prevailing Charge
- The typical amount a provider bills for a service based on established pricing practice, historically used before prospective payment systems.
- Customer ServiceTermPatient Service, Service Experience
- The practices an organisation uses to address patient and family needs and concerns throughout their care experience.
- CVD Diagnosis EconomicsTermCardiovascular Diagnosis Economics, CVD Diagnostic Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to cardiovascular diagnostic strategies, comparing cost and accuracy across stress testing, imaging, and biomarker panels.
- CVD Prevention EconomicsTermCardiovascular Prevention Economics, CVD Prevention Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to cardiovascular disease prevention, spanning lifestyle programmes, preventive medication, and population health policy.
- CVD Screening EconomicsTermCardiovascular Screening Economics, CVD Screening Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to cardiovascular screening programmes for asymptomatic populations, accounting for both true and false test results.
- CVD Treatment EconomicsTermCardiovascular Treatment Economics, CVD Therapy Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to the full range of treatments for established cardiovascular disease, including medication, procedures, and surgery.
- CycleConceptModel Time Interval, Markov Time Unit
- A cycle is a defined time interval during which a discrete-time state-transition model updates health-state occupancy and accumulates relevant outcomes and costs.
- Cycle LengthConceptCycle Duration, Time-Step Length
- Cycle length is the duration of one cycle in a Markov or other discrete-time state-transition model, such as a month or a year, set before the model runs.
- Cycle Length SelectionTermCycle-Length Choice, Time-Step Selection
- The methodological decision on how long each Markov model cycle should represent, balancing clinical precision against model complexity and available data.
- Cycle StructureTermModel Cycle Organisation, Temporal Model Structure
- The overall organisation of time within a Markov model, including the chosen cycle length and total number of cycles across the time horizon.
- Cytogenetic ResponseTermCytogenetic Remission, Chromosomal Response
- A response criterion in some leukaemias assessing reduction in cells carrying a disease-associated chromosomal abnormality, an intermediate depth between hematologic and molecular response.