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.
F
- Frailty ModelConceptRandom-Effect Survival Model, Unobserved Heterogeneity Model
- A survival model incorporating an unobserved random effect, called frailty, to represent risk heterogeneity not captured by observed covariates.
- Framing ConceptTermFraming Effect, Presentation Bias
- The principle that decisions can be swayed by how choices are presented, such as gains versus losses, even when options are equivalent.
- Framing InterventionTermLoss-Gain Framing, Message Framing
- The deliberate use of framing effects in intervention design, typically presenting information in terms of losses rather than gains, to influence decisions.
- Fraud Analytics HealthTermHealthcare Fraud Analytics, Claims Fraud Detection
- The application of data analysis to identify patterns suggestive of healthcare fraud or abuse within claims data, prioritising compliance investigation.
- Free ClinicTermCharitable Clinic, Volunteer Clinic
- A facility providing medical services at no direct cost, typically relying on volunteer clinicians and charitable funding for uninsured populations.
- Free GoodsTermFree Stock, Free-of-Charge Units
- Units of a treatment provided by a manufacturer at no cost, often used within a managed entry agreement to offset non-responder costs.
- Free PricingTermUnregulated Pricing, Free Market Pricing
- A pricing environment in which manufacturers set a drug's initial launch price without direct government price controls, largely the case in the US.
- Free Rider ProblemTermFree Riding, Collective Action Problem
- A situation in which individuals benefit from a shared resource or collective action without contributing to its cost, because exclusion is not feasible.
- Free Rider Problem in InsuranceTermInsurance Free Riding, Coverage Free-Riding
- The tendency for healthy individuals to skip buying insurance while relying on emergency care or others' willingness to fund risk pools.
- Frequentist AnalysisConceptFrequentist Inference, Classical Statistics
- A statistical inference approach based on the long-run frequency properties of estimators, calculated from observed data alone, unlike a Bayesian approach.
- Frequentist Meta-AnalysisConceptClassical Meta-Analysis, Frequentist Evidence Synthesis
- An approach combining evidence using classical frequentist methods, producing a point estimate and confidence interval without formally incorporating prior beliefs.
- Friction Cost MethodConceptFriction Cost Approach, FCM
- A productivity loss valuation approach estimating only the cost of the finite period needed to restore normal production, generally lower than human capital estimates.
- Full ApprovalTermStandard Approval, Traditional Approval
- Standard market authorisation granted based on a well-established, definitive clinical benefit endpoint, unlike accelerated approval, which relies on a surrogate.
- Full AssessmentTermComprehensive HTA, Full HTA Review
- A comprehensive assessment process involving detailed evaluation of clinical and cost-effectiveness, unlike an abbreviated or rapid review process.
- Full CapitationTermGlobal Capitation, Comprehensive Capitation
- A capitation arrangement in which a provider assumes complete financial risk for essentially all a patient's healthcare costs, unlike partial capitation.
- Full CodeTermFull Resuscitation Status, Attempt-CPR Status
- A designation indicating a patient should receive all available resuscitative measures, including CPR, the default status absent a documented preference.
- Full Economic EvaluationConceptComplete Economic Evaluation, Comparative Economic Evaluation
- An economic evaluation comparing two or more alternatives in terms of both costs and consequences, unlike a partial evaluation examining costs or outcomes alone.
- Full Immunisation CoverageTermComplete Vaccination Coverage, Full Vaccination Rate
- A measure of the proportion of a target population who have received the complete recommended vaccination series according to a national schedule.
- Full Societal PerspectiveTermComplete Societal Perspective, Broad Societal Perspective
- An analytic viewpoint including all costs and consequences regardless of who bears them, spanning healthcare, patient and carer time, and productivity losses.
- Fully Incremental AnalysisConceptFull Incremental Analysis, Sequential ICER Analysis
- Fully incremental analysis compares all mutually exclusive strategies in an ordered sequence to identify the cost-effectiveness frontier.
- Fully Insured PlanTermFully-Insured Arrangement, Insured Plan
- An arrangement where an employer purchases coverage from an insurer that assumes the financial risk for claims, unlike a self-insured plan.
- Function TransferTermBenefit-Function Approach, Value Surface Transfer
- A form of benefit transfer in which an entire estimated value function, rather than a single point value, is applied to a new context.
- Functional DeclineTermFunctional Deterioration, Decline in Function
- A reduction in ability to perform daily activities independently, often linked to ageing, chronic disease progression, or an acute health event.
- Functional IndependenceTermIndependent Functioning, Self-Care Capacity
- An individual's capacity to perform daily activities without assistance from others, commonly assessed using standardised functional status instruments.
- Functional LimitationTermFunctional Restriction, Impaired Ability
- A restriction in a person's ability to perform basic physical or mental actions, such as lifting or concentrating, per the WHO functioning framework.
- Functional OutcomeTermFunctional Result, Function Outcome Measure
- A general term for any measure of a patient's ability to perform physical, cognitive, or social activities, distinct from purely clinical measures.
- Functional ResponseTermFunctional Improvement, Mobility Gain
- A measure indicating improvement in a patient's functional capacity following treatment, such as increased mobility or improved daily activity performance.
- Functional StatusTermFunctional Ability, Functional Health
- A measure of an individual's ability to perform physical, cognitive, and social activities relevant to independent living.
- Fungal Infection EconomicsTermMycosis Economics, Fungal Disease Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to fungal infections, spanning common superficial infections to severe systemic disease in vulnerable populations.
- Funnel PlotTermFunnel Diagram, Precision-Effect Plot
- A scatter plot assessing potential publication bias by plotting each study's effect estimate against its precision, expecting symmetry if unbiased.
- Funnel Plot AnalysisTermFunnel Plot Assessment, Asymmetry Analysis
- The formal examination of a funnel plot's symmetry, often with a statistical test such as Egger's, to assess likely publication bias.
- Futile CareTermNon-Beneficial Treatment, Futility of Care
- Medical treatment judged unlikely to produce meaningful clinical benefit despite continuing to be administered, raising ethical and resource concerns.
- Futility AnalysisConceptFutility Stopping Analysis, Interim Futility Check
- A futility analysis assesses interim trial evidence against a prespecified rule to judge whether continuing is sufficiently likely to meet the study's final objective.
- Future CostTermDownstream Cost, Future Healthcare Cost
- Healthcare costs a patient is expected to incur in years added to their life from a successful intervention, a debated inclusion in analysis.
- Future ValueTermCompounded Value, FV
- The value a present sum of money will grow to after a specified period, given a particular rate of return.