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.

51–100 of 666 terms matching “Cost”

A

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.
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.

C

Cost-Effectiveness PolicyCE Policy Analysis, Cost-Effectiveness Appraisal Policy
A policy analysis approach comparing costs and non-monetary outcomes, such as health gains, without converting outcomes into monetary terms.
Cost-Effectiveness ThresholdCE Threshold, ICER Threshold
A cost-effectiveness threshold is a benchmark used to judge whether the additional health produced by an intervention is worth its additional cost, usually expressed as an amount per QALY or another unit of health outcome.
Cost-Minimisation AnalysisCMA, Cost-Minimization Analysis
Cost-minimisation analysis compares the costs of healthcare alternatives only after reliable evidence shows that their relevant outcomes do not differ meaningfully.
Cost-Offset AnalysisCost Offset Study, Savings Offset Analysis
An analysis examining whether the extra cost of an intervention is partly or fully offset by savings elsewhere, such as fewer hospital admissions.
Cost-Plus PricingCost-Plus Markup, Full-Cost Pricing
A cost-based pricing form adding a fixed markup percentage or amount to production cost to determine the selling price.
Cost-Sharing ReductionCSR, Cost-Sharing Subsidy
A policy or benefit feature lowering the out-of-pocket amount a patient pays for healthcare, typically targeted at lower-income individuals.
Cost-to-Charge RatioCCR, Cost-Charge Ratio
A cost-to-charge ratio is a provider accounting cost divided by its corresponding billed charges for a defined set of services and period, used to estimate costs from charge data when direct patient-level costs are unavailable.

D

Depression BurdenDepression Disease Burden, Cost of Depression
The total impact of depression on individuals and society, covering treatment costs, lost productivity, and reduced quality of life.
Discounting CostsCost Discounting, Present-Valuing Costs
The application of a discount rate to future costs within an economic evaluation, converting them into a common present-day value.

E

Economic BurdenCost Burden, Societal Cost Burden
The total cost imposed on a health system, individuals, or society by a specific disease, injury, or risk factor.
Economic Data HealthHealth Economic Data, Cost and Resource Data
Data specifically capturing the costs, resource use, and financial aspects of healthcare delivery, distinct from clinical outcome data.
Economic EvaluationHealth Economic Appraisal, Cost-Outcome Analysis
Economic evaluation compares the costs and outcomes of healthcare alternatives to inform decisions about value and limited resource allocation.
Economic EvidenceCost-Effectiveness Evidence, Value Evidence
Data and analysis addressing the costs, resource use, and cost-effectiveness of health interventions, distinct from clinical evidence on safety and efficacy alone.
Economic Evidence RequirementsEconomic Submission Requirements, Cost-Evidence Standards
The specific standards an assessment body sets regarding the type, quality, and format of economic evidence a manufacturer must submit.
Economic Model SubmissionModel Submission, Cost-Effectiveness Model Dossier
A formal submission of a health economic decision-analytic model, with supporting documentation, provided as part of a coverage application.
Economic ReviewEconomic Evidence Review, Cost-Effectiveness Review
An evaluation of the economic evidence, including a submitted cost-effectiveness analysis, typically conducted by an independent technical reviewer.
Efficiency FrontierEfficient Frontier, Cost-Effect Boundary
In cost-effectiveness analysis, an efficiency frontier connects the available strategies that remain after excluding options subject to simple or extended dominance.
Episode CostCost per Episode, Care-Episode Expense
The total expense of a defined clinical episode, such as a hospital admission, from its beginning through resolution.
Expansion PathCost-Minimising Path, Optimal Input Trajectory
The set of cost-minimising input combinations as output rises, holding relative input prices constant.

F

Financial BarrierCost Barrier, Affordability Barrier
An obstacle to healthcare arising from cost, including high out-of-pocket expenses, lack of insurance, or the opportunity cost of time off work.
Financial EfficiencyFiscal Efficiency, Cost Efficiency of Finance
A measure of how effectively an organisation converts financial resources into patient care activity and outcomes, avoiding unnecessary spending.
Financial ProtectionFinancial Risk Protection, Cost Burden Shielding
The degree to which a financing system shields individuals from healthcare cost burden, covering both service breadth and protection depth.
Foregone CareCost-Related Nonreceipt, Skipped Care
Healthcare an individual needed but did not receive, most commonly due to cost, a coping strategy of last resort.

H

Health Economic ModelHealth Economics Model, Cost-Effectiveness Model
A mathematical representation of the costs and health outcomes of alternative interventions over a defined time horizon, used when single-study data are insufficient.
High-Value CareHigh-Value Healthcare, Cost-Effective Care
Healthcare providing substantial benefit relative to its cost and potential harms, the outcome quality improvement and cost-effectiveness aim to promote.

I

Immunotherapy CostImmuno-Oncology Cost, Cost of Immunotherapy
The expense of cancer treatments harnessing the body's immune system to fight cancer cells, generally priced substantially higher than conventional chemotherapy.
Incremental Cost EstimationCost Difference Estimation, Incremental Costing
The process of estimating the difference in cost between two interventions, rather than each option's total cost in isolation.
Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER)Incremental Cost per Unit, Cost-Effectiveness Ratio
The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, or ICER, is incremental cost divided by incremental effectiveness, expressing the additional cost per additional unit of outcome when ratio interpretation is meaningful.
Induced InnovationInsurance-Driven Innovation, Cost-Shielded Innovation
The theory that health insurance, by shielding patients from full costs, steers medical innovation toward more expensive, quality-enhancing treatments rather than cost-reducing ones.
Insulin CostCost of Insulin, Insulin Price
The price of insulin required for diabetes management, a significant and closely scrutinised component of overall diabetes treatment cost.

L

LambdaCost-Effectiveness Threshold Symbol, WTP Ceiling Symbol
The symbol conventionally used for the cost-effectiveness threshold, or willingness to pay per unit of health effect, in net monetary benefit analysis.

M

Marginal CostExtra-Unit Cost, Cost at the Margin
Marginal cost is the change in total economic cost caused by producing one additional unit of output at a specified level of activity and over a specified time horizon.

N

Non-Medical SwitchingPayer-Driven Switching, Cost-Driven Switching
A situation where a patient's medication is changed for reasons unrelated to clinical response, such as an insurer's formulary change.

O

Outbreak CostCost of Outbreak, Epidemic Cost
The total economic burden of an infectious disease outbreak, covering direct healthcare costs, public health response spending, and productivity losses.

P

Pandemic CostCost of Pandemic, Pandemic Economic Burden
The total economic burden of a pandemic, covering direct healthcare costs, public health response spending, and broader economic disruption beyond health.
Patient CapCost Cap, Patient Cost Ceiling
A limit on the number of patients for whom a payer will reimburse a specific treatment within a defined period.
Per Patient CostCost per Patient, Per-Case Cost
The average expense of treating a single patient with a given condition, found by dividing total programme cost by patients treated.
PerspectiveAnalytic Viewpoint, Costing Standpoint
The viewpoint adopted in an economic evaluation that determines which categories of cost and outcome are included, such as payer, patient, or societal.
Productive EfficiencyProduction Efficiency, Cost-Minimising Efficiency
A condition in which a given output level is produced using the minimum possible inputs, synonymous with technical efficiency.

R

Regulatory CostCompliance Cost, Cost of Regulation
The expense of meeting regulatory authority requirements when developing and gaining approval for a new health technology, including documentation and submissions.
Resource IdentificationResource Enumeration, Cost Item Identification
The process of determining which categories of resource use, such as staff time and supplies, are relevant when costing an intervention.
Retrospective PaymentRetrospective Reimbursement, Cost-Reimbursement Payment
A methodology reimbursing a provider based on actual costs or charges incurred, determined after care has been provided, unlike prospective payment.

S

SignalingMarket Signalling, Costly Signalling
An action taken by an informed party to credibly convey private information to an uninformed party that could not otherwise be verified.

T

Targeted Therapy CostCost of Targeted Therapy, Precision Drug Cost
The expense of cancer treatments targeting a specific molecular tumour feature, generally priced at a premium over conventional chemotherapy.
Threshold ApproachThreshold Decision Rule, Cost-Effectiveness Cut-Off Rule
A decision-making method that classifies an intervention as cost-effective or not based on whether its ICER falls below a predetermined threshold.
Trial CostCost of Running a Trial, Research Trial Expense
The total expense of designing, conducting, and analysing a clinical trial, including site costs, recruitment, data management, and regulatory compliance.

V

Vaccination CostImmunisation Cost, Cost of Vaccination
The total resources required to deliver a vaccination programme, covering the vaccine product, administration, cold chain storage, and delivery infrastructure.

W

Willingness-to-Pay ThresholdWTP Threshold, Cost-Effectiveness Willingness-to-Pay
The maximum amount a decision-maker is prepared to pay for an additional unit of health benefit, used to judge acceptable value for money.