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
- Consolidation TherapyConsolidation Treatment, Post-Induction Therapy
- A treatment given after successful induction therapy has reduced disease burden, intended to eliminate remaining disease and reduce relapse risk.
- Contact CoveragePopulation Contact Reach, First-Contact Uptake
- A measure of the proportion of a target population that has received at least one contact with a specific service, an early coverage step.
- Contact RateContact Frequency, Mixing Rate
- Contact rate is the expected number of defined, potentially transmission-relevant encounters an individual has per unit time in an infectious-disease model.
- Continuous CoverageUninterrupted Coverage, Gap-Free Coverage
- A period during which an individual has maintained insurance without a significant gap, sometimes a qualifying condition for guaranteed issue rights.
- Continuous Quality ImprovementCQI, Kaizen in Healthcare
- An organisational philosophy emphasising ongoing, incremental efforts to improve healthcare processes and outcomes, rather than a one-time project.
- Convergence AssessmentConvergence Diagnostics, MCMC Diagnostics
- An evaluation of whether an iterative algorithm, such as a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation, has run enough iterations to produce stable results.
- Covered ServiceCovered Benefit, Reimbursable Service
- A healthcare service for which an insurance plan has agreed to pay, subject to the plan's specific terms and cost-sharing requirements.
- Credence GoodCredence Product, Trust Good
- A good whose quality or necessity cannot be reliably judged by the consumer even after purchase, since doing so needs specialist expertise they lack.
- Currency ConversionExchange-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.
D
- DMAICDefine Measure Analyse Improve Control, Six Sigma Improvement Cycle
- A structured, five-phase Six Sigma methodology, Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control, for identifying and addressing root causes of a quality problem.
- Dose-Limiting ToxicityDLT, Dose-Limiting Adverse Event
- A sufficiently severe adverse event in early-phase trials that prevents further dose escalation, used to help determine the maximum tolerated dose.
- Drug PricingPharmaceutical Pricing, Medicine Price Setting
- The setting and negotiation of medicine prices and payments across a specified product, purchaser, market and point in the supply chain.
E
- Early InterventionEarly Treatment, First-Episode Intervention
- A mental health care approach emphasising identifying and treating conditions at their earliest stages, often targeting first signs of serious illness.
- Emergency Care CoverageEmergency Access Coverage, Emergency Service Reach
- A measure of the extent to which a population has timely access to needed emergency medical services, reflecting response capacity.
- End Of Life Economics OncologyEoL Oncology Economics, Advanced Cancer End-of-Life Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to care during advanced cancer's final phase, weighing continued aggressive treatment against palliative or hospice care.
- End-of-Life Care EconomicsEoL Care Economics, End-of-Life Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to care during a life-limiting illness's final phase, covering palliative management, hospice, and treatment intensity decisions.
- End-Stage Renal DiseaseESRD, End-Stage Kidney Disease
- The most severe stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function has declined to require dialysis or transplantation to sustain life.
- Evaluation StandardsStudy Conduct Criteria, Appraisal Standards
- The criteria used to assess whether a research study has been conducted appropriately and achieved its intended objectives, scientifically and ethically.
- Evidence UpdateAssessment Update, Guideline Refresh
- A revision to a previously completed assessment or guideline incorporating newly available evidence that has emerged since it was conducted.
- Evidence-Based MedicineEBM, Evidence-Based Practice
- An approach to clinical practice emphasising conscientious, explicit use of current best research evidence, integrated with clinical expertise and patient values.
- Ex-Ante EvaluationBefore-Implementation Evaluation, Forward-Looking Evaluation
- An economic evaluation conducted before an intervention has been implemented, typically relying on modelled projections rather than observed outcome data.
- Ex-Post EvaluationAfter-Implementation Evaluation, Outcome-Based Evaluation
- An economic evaluation conducted after an intervention has been implemented, using observed data on its actual costs and outcomes.
F
- Fully Insured PlanFully-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.
G
- GatekeepingSequential Testing Strategy, Priority-Ordered Testing
- A multiple testing strategy in which a lower-priority endpoint is only formally tested if a higher-priority endpoint has already achieved significance.
- Generic Entry ImpactGeneric Competition Impact, Post-Patent Impact
- The effect generic competition has on a drug's market price, utilisation, and overall budget impact, typically bringing substantial price declines.
- Global HealthWorld Health, Planetary Health
- An area of study and practice prioritising improving health and equity worldwide, emphasising transnational issues that transcend national boundaries.
- Group MarketEmployer-Sponsored Market, Group Coverage Segment
- The insurance market segment in which coverage is purchased by an employer or organisation on behalf of a defined member group.
H
- Health Insurance MarketInsurance Market, Health Coverage Market
- The overall system through which insurance products are offered, purchased, and regulated, encompassing the individual, small group, and large group segments.
- Health System FinancingHealth Financing, Healthcare Financing
- Health system financing comprises the arrangements through which money for health is raised, pooled and used to purchase services in pursuit of access, equity, financial protection and efficiency.
- Health System OrganizationHealth System Structure, System Organisation
- The arrangement of authority, financing and purchasing institutions, care providers, and patient pathways within a health system, including how those actors coordinate and are held accountable.
- Hearing Care CoverageHearing Service Coverage, Audiology Coverage
- A measure of the extent to which a population has access to needed hearing loss diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation services.
- Heart Failure EconomicsHF Economics, Cardiac Failure Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to heart failure diagnosis, medication, device therapy, and rehabilitation, emphasising reduced hospital readmission.
- Hospital Care CoverageInpatient Coverage, Hospital Service Coverage
- A measure of the extent to which a population has timely access to needed inpatient hospital services.
I
- IndicationApproved Use, Licensed Use
- The specific medical condition or use for which a drug has received regulatory approval and is intended to be prescribed.
- Individual Market
- The insurance market segment where coverage is purchased directly by individual consumers rather than through an employer or other group.
- Information AsymmetryAsymmetric Information, Information Imbalance
- Information asymmetry occurs when one party to an economic decision has more or better information than another, affecting choices, bargaining power and the efficiency of resulting outcomes.
- International HealthDeveloping-Country Health, Overseas Health
- A traditional field focused on health issues primarily affecting developing countries, emphasising knowledge transfer from wealthier to poorer nations.
- InvestigationFormal Inquiry, Fact-Finding Inquiry
- A formal inquiry gathering facts to determine whether a suspected compliance violation, fraud, or other misconduct has occurred.
J
- Judicial ReviewLegal Challenge, Court Review
- A legal process examining whether a government body has acted lawfully, typically focused on procedural fairness rather than scientific merit.
L
- Leave-One-Out
- A cross-validation form repeatedly refitting a model using all but one observation, using that observation to test accuracy, until each has served once.
- Lifetime PrevalenceCumulative Prevalence, Ever-Prevalence
- The proportion of a population that has experienced a condition at any point in life up to assessment, unlike point prevalence.
- Log-Logistic DistributionFisk Distribution, Loglogistic AFT Model
- A two-parameter continuous distribution for positive event times whose logarithm is logistic; its survival function has a heavy tail, and its hazard may rise and then fall.
M
- Maintenance TherapyContinuation Therapy, Sustaining Treatment
- Ongoing treatment given after an initial, more intensive phase to sustain a positive response and prevent relapse or progression.
- Markov ChainMarkov Process, Discrete Markov Process
- A Markov chain is a stochastic process that moves among a defined set of states such that the probability of the next state depends on the current state and specified covariates, not on the earlier path once that information is represented.
- Maximum Tolerated DoseMTD, Highest Tolerated Dosage
- The highest drug dose that can be given without unacceptable toxicity, typically found during early-phase trials through dose escalation.
- Mental Health Service CoverageBehavioural Health Coverage, Psychiatric Service Coverage
- A measure of the extent to which a population has access to needed mental health diagnosis and treatment services.
- MonopsonySingle-Buyer Market, Buyer Monopoly
- A market structure in which a single buyer accounts for all or most purchases of a good, giving it power to push the price down.
N
- Net Present ValueNPV, Discounted Net Value
- Net present value is the sum of monetary net flows at different times after each has been discounted to a common valuation date, including the initial flow.
P
- Participation RestrictionICF Participation, Role Restriction
- A problem an individual has engaging in normal life situations, such as employment or social activity, per the WHO functioning and disability framework.
- Patient ResponsibilityPatient Financial Responsibility, Patient Liability
- The total amount a patient owes for services after insurance has been applied, covering any deductible, copayment, coinsurance, or non-covered amounts.