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.
D
- Defibrillator EconomicsICD Economics, ICD Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, weighing device and implant cost against preventing sudden cardiac death.
- Delirium EconomicsDelirium Cost-Effectiveness, Acute Confusion Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to delirium, an acute confusion state common among hospitalised older adults, linked to complications and cognitive decline.
- Demand-Side ControlPatient-Side Cost Control, Demand-Side Measure
- Cost containment strategies targeting patient-side incentives, such as cost-sharing, to influence utilisation, unlike supply-side controls targeting provider behaviour.
- Dementia EconomicsDementia Cost-Effectiveness, Dementia HTA
- The broad application of health economic evaluation to dementia, covering diagnosis, disease-modifying and symptomatic treatment, and long-term care.
- Dengue EconomicsDengue Cost-Effectiveness, Dengue Fever Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection endemic to many tropical and subtropical regions.
- Depression EconomicsDepression Cost-Effectiveness, Depression HTA
- The application of health economic evaluation to depression, comparing psychotherapy, pharmacological treatment, and combination approaches across varying disease severity.
- Diabetes EconomicsDiabetes Cost-Effectiveness, Diabetes HTA
- The application of health economic evaluation to diabetes prevention, diagnosis, and management, spanning medication, monitoring technology, and complication prevention.
- Dialysis EconomicsDialysis Cost-Effectiveness, Renal Replacement Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to dialysis for kidney failure, comparing haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis modalities and treatment settings.
- Digital Cost-EffectivenessDigital CEA, Digital Health Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of cost-effectiveness analysis to digital health interventions, such as mobile health apps or remote monitoring platforms.
- Diphtheria EconomicsDiphtheria Cost-Effectiveness, Diphtheria Vaccine Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to diphtheria, a serious bacterial infection largely controlled through routine childhood vaccination.
- Direct CostDirect Costs, Directly-Attributable Cost
- A cost that can be directly attributed to producing a specific good or delivering a specific service, such as medication given to a patient.
- Direct Medical CostDirect Healthcare Cost, Medical Service Cost
- A direct cost incurred specifically for the provision of medical care, such as physician fees, hospital charges, or medication.
- Direct Non-Medical CostNon-Medical Direct Cost, Carer Travel Cost
- A direct cost borne by a patient or carer that is not itself a medical expense, such as transport to appointments.
- Diseconomies of ScaleRising Average Cost, Scale Inefficiency
- A situation in which average cost of production rises as output increases, often due to coordination difficulties or capacity constraints.
- Distributional Cost-EffectivenessDCEA
- Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis evaluates how a health intervention changes both total health and its distribution across socially relevant population groups, including the distribution of health opportunity costs.
- Diverticulitis EconomicsDiverticulitis Cost-Effectiveness, Diverticular Disease Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to diverticulitis, comparing outpatient antibiotic management against hospitalisation and, in severe cases, surgery.
- DominanceSimple Superiority, Strict Cost-Effect Advantage
- A relationship between two interventions in which one is both less costly and more effective, making the other an inferior choice regardless of threshold.
- Drug CostMedication Cost, Pharmaceutical Cost
- The total expense of a pharmaceutical treatment, covering acquisition price and, where relevant, associated administration and monitoring costs.
E
- Eating Disorder EconomicsEating Disorder Cost-Effectiveness, Anorexia and Bulimia Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to eating disorders, covering psychotherapy, medical monitoring, and severe-case specialist inpatient treatment.
- Economies of ScaleScale Economies, Falling Average Cost
- A situation in which average cost of production falls as output rises, typically because fixed costs are spread across greater volume.
- Emergency Care CostED Cost, Emergency Treatment Expense
- The expense of treatment provided in an emergency department or urgent care setting, typically higher per visit than equivalent primary care.
- Employer PerspectiveEmployer Viewpoint, Employer Cost Perspective
- An analytic viewpoint including only costs and outcomes relevant to an employer, such as premium contributions and productivity losses from absenteeism.
- End-of-Life CostTerminal-Phase Cost, Last-Year-of-Life Cost
- Healthcare expenditure incurred during the final period of a patient's life, often a disproportionately large share of total lifetime healthcare costs.
- Endocarditis EconomicsInfective Endocarditis Cost-Effectiveness, IE Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to infective endocarditis, accounting for prolonged antibiotic therapy and, in severe cases, cardiac surgery.
- Epilepsy EconomicsEpilepsy Cost-Effectiveness, Seizure Disorder Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to epilepsy, comparing anti-seizure medication, dietary therapy, and, in select cases, surgical treatment.
- Expense BudgetRunning-Cost Budget, Operating Expense Plan
- A budget covering the routine operating costs of running an organisation, including salaries, supplies, and overheads.
- Extended Cost-EffectivenessECEA, Financial-Risk-Protection CEA
- A form of economic evaluation that extends standard cost-effectiveness analysis by incorporating financial risk protection and the distribution of costs and benefits by income.
F
- Falls Prevention EconomicsFall Prevention Cost-Effectiveness, Falls Programme Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to programmes reducing falls among older adults, comparing prevention costs against downstream injury costs such as hip fractures.
- Fixed CostFixed Expense, Non-Variable Cost
- A cost that does not vary with the level of output or service volume in the short run, such as rent.
- Fracture EconomicsFracture Care Economics, Osteoporotic Fracture Costing
- The application of health economic evaluation to bone fractures, covering acute treatment, particularly fragility fractures from osteoporosis, and rehabilitation.
- Friction Cost MethodFriction 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.
- Future CostDownstream 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.
G
- Generalized Cost-EffectivenessGCEA, WHO-CHOICE Analysis
- A form of cost-effectiveness analysis comparing a broad set of interventions against a common null counterfactual rather than against current practice.
- Generic TierTier 1 Generic, Lowest Cost-Share Tier
- A formulary category for generic drugs within a tiered insurance design, typically carrying the lowest cost-sharing to encourage their use.
- Geographic AdjustmentGeographic Cost Adjustment, Area Wage Adjustment
- A modification to a standard payment rate accounting for legitimate cost variation across areas, such as local wage differences.
- Glaucoma EconomicsGlaucoma Cost-Effectiveness, Glaucoma Care Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to glaucoma, comparing medication, laser treatment, and surgery for this progressive, potentially irreversible optic nerve condition.
- Global PaymentComprehensive Payment, Total Cost of Care Payment
- A comprehensive payment covering all or nearly all of a patient's healthcare needs over a defined period, placing substantial financial risk on the provider.
- Gross CostingAggregate Costing, Average-Cost Method
- A costing method that applies a single, average unit cost figure, typically from routine administrative data, to estimate total intervention cost.
H
- Hand Hygiene EconomicsHand Washing Economics, Hand Hygiene Cost-Effectiveness
- The application of health economic evaluation to hand hygiene programmes reducing healthcare-associated infection spread, consistently found highly cost-effective.
- Health Promotion EconomicsHealth Promotion Cost-Effectiveness, Wellness Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to interventions improving population health through education, policy, and community programmes rather than direct treatment.
- Healthcare Cost GrowthHealth Cost Inflation, Healthcare Spending Growth
- The rate at which total healthcare expenditure rises over time, commonly broken down into population growth, ageing, price inflation, and treatment intensity.
- Healthcare System CostSystem-Wide Cost, Total System Cost
- The total expense incurred across an entire healthcare system providing care, covering all payers and providers, unlike a single payer's narrower perspective.
- Hospitalization CostInpatient Cost, Admission Cost
- The total expense of an inpatient hospital stay, covering room and board, nursing care, procedures, and medications during the admission.
I
- Impoverishing Health ExpenditureImpoverishing Out-of-Pocket Spending, Poverty-Inducing Health Cost
- Out-of-pocket healthcare spending that pushes household income or consumption below an established poverty line, or further below it.
- ImpoverishmentMedical Poverty, Poverty from Health Costs
- A state where household income or consumption falls below an established poverty line, which out-of-pocket healthcare spending can cause or worsen.
- Incremental CostAdditional Cost, Marginal Cost Difference
- Incremental cost is the difference in expected total cost between one healthcare option and its stated comparator, calculated using the same population, perspective, time horizon, currency, price year and costing methods.
- Incremental Cost-Utility RatioICUR
- The difference in cost between two interventions divided by the difference in quality-adjusted life years they produce.
- Indirect Cost
- A cost associated with an intervention that is not directly incurred in providing it, such as lost productivity from illness or premature death.
- Informal Care CostUnpaid Care Cost, Informal Caregiving Cost
- The economic value of unpaid caregiving time from family or friends, typically estimated using replacement cost or the carer's forgone time.
- Intangible CostNon-Financial Cost, Psychosocial Cost
- A cost representing the non-financial burden of illness or treatment, such as pain or reduced quality of life, that is hard to value in money.