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
- Cancer Drug PricingOncology Drug Pricing, Cancer Medication Pricing
- The pricing strategies and resulting costs of cancer medications, an area of scrutiny given the substantial cost of newer targeted and biologic therapies.
- Cancer Treatment EconomicsOncology Treatment Economics, Cancer Therapy Economics
- The analysis of costs, health outcomes and resource consequences across cancer treatment pathways for a specified population, comparator, perspective and decision.
- Cardiac Device EconomicsImplantable Device Economics, Cardiac Implant Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to implantable cardiac devices, weighing upfront device and implant costs against ongoing monitoring and replacement.
- Cardiac Imaging EconomicsCardiovascular Imaging Economics, Cardiac Scan Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to cardiac imaging technologies, comparing diagnostic accuracy and downstream treatment impact against acquisition and operating costs.
- Cardiac Rehabilitation EconomicsCardiac Rehab Economics, Heart Rehabilitation Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to structured cardiac rehabilitation, typically finding it low-cost relative to the hospitalisations it helps prevent.
- Case-Mix AdjustmentCasemix Adjustment, Case-Mix Correction
- A statistical method accounting for differences in patient population complexity when comparing cost or outcome measures across different providers.
- Certificate of NeedCON, Need Certificate
- A regulatory requirement mandating government approval before major capital healthcare investments, intended to prevent unnecessary service duplication and control costs.
- Charity CareFinancial Assistance Care, Free Care
- Free or reduced-cost healthcare provided by a provider to patients unable to afford full care, funded by the provider itself.
- Claims DatabaseClaims Data Warehouse, Insurance Claims Repository
- A large, structured collection of insurance claims data assembled from one or more payers, used to study healthcare utilisation and cost.
- Clinical PracticeClinical Care, Medical Practice
- In health economics, the delivery of care to patients by health professionals, the real-world setting whose effectiveness, costs and variation health economic evaluation seeks to inform.
- Clostridium EconomicsC. difficile Economics, CDI Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to Clostridium infections, notably Clostridioides difficile, a common and costly healthcare-associated diarrhoeal illness.
- Coase TheoremCoase's Theorem, Coasean Bargaining
- The proposition that, absent transaction costs, private parties can negotiate an efficient solution to externality problems regardless of how legal rights are assigned.
- Coeliac Disease EconomicsCeliac Disease Economics, Gluten Enteropathy Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten, covering diagnosis and lifelong gluten-free diet cost.
- Community ContributionCommunity Health Fund, Community Pooling
- A health financing mechanism in which local community members pool resources, often through small regular payments, to cover collective healthcare costs.
- Community Mental Health EconomicsCommunity Psychiatry Economics, CMH Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to community-based mental health service delivery, comparing cost and outcomes against institutional psychiatric care.
- Community-Based InsuranceCommunity-Based Health Insurance, Mutual Health Insurance
- A model in which members of a local community voluntarily pool resources to collectively finance healthcare costs, common where formal insurance is undeveloped.
- Competition-Based PricingCompetitive Pricing, Market-Based Pricing
- A pricing strategy in which a firm sets price based primarily on competitors' prices for similar products, rather than its own costs alone.
- Composite Value ScoreAggregate Value Score, Overall Value Index
- A single, aggregated numerical score combining multiple value criteria, such as clinical benefit and cost, into an overall value assessment.
- Concurrent Risk AdjustmentSame-Period Risk Adjustment, Concurrent Risk Model
- A risk adjustment method using diagnoses observed in the same period costs are predicted for, unlike prospective adjustment using prior period data.
- Confidence EllipseJoint Confidence Region, CE-Plane Ellipse
- A graphical region, typically on a cost-effectiveness plane, showing where the true joint value of incremental cost and effect is expected to fall.
- Copay AmountCopayment Amount, Fixed Copay Charge
- The specific fixed sum an insured person must pay for a particular covered service under a copayment cost-sharing arrangement.
- 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.
- Cream SkimmingCherry Picking, Favourable Risk Selection
- A practice where an insurer or provider selectively attracts healthier, lower-cost enrollees while avoiding sicker ones, undermining risk pooling.
- Critical Care EconomicsIntensive Care Economics, ICU Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to intensive care unit treatment and staffing, an area marked by exceptionally high per-patient costs.
- 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.
- CycleModel 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 LengthCycle Duration, Time-Step Length
- Cycle length is the fixed duration represented by one update of a discrete-time state-transition model, determining when transitions, costs, health outcomes, and discounting are applied within the modelled time horizon.
D
- Data ImportData Loading, Data Ingestion
- The process of loading external data, such as trial results or costs, into a health economic model's software for use as inputs.
- Data InputModel Data Entry, Parameter Entry
- The process or interface through which external evidence, such as trial results or unit costs, is entered into a model to populate its parameters.
- Decision AnalysisDecision-Analytic Approach, Decision Modelling Framework
- In health economics, a systematic quantitative approach to choosing among options under uncertainty by modelling their expected costs and consequences.
- Decision CriteriaAppraisal Criteria, Decision Factors
- The specific factors, such as cost-effectiveness and clinical benefit, an assessment body formally considers when reaching a funding recommendation.
- Decision RuleChoice Rule, Explicit Decision Criterion
- A decision rule is an explicit criterion for choosing between healthcare interventions by comparing their incremental costs and health effects with the relevant cost-effectiveness threshold.
- Decision Rule ApplicationRule Application, Threshold Application
- The process of applying a predetermined criterion, such as a cost-effectiveness threshold, to an economic evaluation's results to reach a funding recommendation.
- Decision TreeTree Model, Branching Decision Model
- A decision tree is a branching decision-analytic model that represents choices, uncertain events and terminal outcomes so the expected costs and consequences of alternative strategies can be calculated.
- Decision Tree ModelTree-Based Model, Branch Model
- A decision-analytic model built on the decision tree structure, with all possible patient pathways explicitly represented as branches to calculate expected cost.
- DeductibleInsurance Excess, Upfront Payment Threshold
- A fixed amount an insured person must pay for covered services before their plan begins to share the cost.
- Default EffectDefault Effect, Default Bias
- The tendency to retain a pre-set option rather than actively choosing an alternative, even when switching costs little.
- Delayed CareCare Delay, Postponed Care
- A coping strategy in which a household postpones seeking needed healthcare due to cost concerns, risking a worsening condition.
- Demographic AdjustmentAge-Sex Adjustment, Demographic Risk Adjustment
- A risk adjustment method predicting expected costs based on basic characteristics, such as age and sex, without detailed clinical diagnosis information.
- Department BudgetDepartmental Budget, Unit Budget
- A budget allocated to an individual department within a larger organisation, covering the costs specific to that unit's operations.
- Differential DiscountingDifferential Discount Rates, Split-Rate Discounting
- The practice of applying different discount rates to costs and health outcomes within an economic evaluation, rather than discounting both at the same rate.
- Digital Value AssessmentDigital Health Value Assessment, Digital HTA Value
- An evaluation of a digital health technology's overall value, incorporating clinical effectiveness, cost, and user engagement, adapted for software-based interventions.
- Direct Graduate Medical EducationDGME, Direct GME Funding
- A US Medicare funding stream reimbursing teaching hospitals for direct costs of training resident physicians, such as salaries and supervision.
- Discount RateAnnual Discount Percentage, Time-Value Rate, Discounting Rate
- The annual percentage applied to future costs or health outcomes to express them in present-value terms and permit consistent comparison across time.
- Discount Rate SelectionChoosing the Discount Rate, Rate Justification
- The methodological decision on which discount rate to apply in an economic evaluation, informed by the social opportunity cost of capital and relevant guidance.
- Disease BurdenTotal Disease Impact, Population Disease Impact
- The total impact of a disease on a population, covering mortality, morbidity, and costs, commonly quantified using disability-adjusted life years.
- Disease Management ReviewDisease Programme Review, Chronic-Care Programme Audit
- An evaluation of a disease management programme's effectiveness at improving outcomes and reducing costs for a specific chronic condition.
- Disease PerspectiveDisease-Specific Perspective, Condition Perspective
- An analytic viewpoint defined by the specific disease being studied, including all relevant costs and outcomes regardless of which payer bears them.
- Distributional Analysis PolicyPolicy Distributional Analysis, Subgroup Impact Analysis, Equity Analysis Policy
- An examination of how a policy's costs and benefits are expected to be distributed across population subgroups, assessing equity implications.
- Do Not DoStop Recommendation, Reversal Recommendation
- A formal recommendation identifying a practice or treatment that should no longer be used, evidence indicating insufficient benefit relative to cost or risk.