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.
A
- Academic Expert in HTASubject-Matter Academic, Independent Academic Adviser
- A researcher with specialised subject matter expertise invited to contribute independent scientific perspective to a health technology assessment process.
- Access NegotiationPayer Negotiation, Price-and-Terms Negotiation
- The process by which a supplier and payer or purchaser agree the price, reimbursement, eligibility and other conditions governing patient access to a health technology.
- Added Therapeutic ValueAdded Therapeutic Benefit, Added Benefit
- The additional clinical benefit a new treatment provides beyond existing standard care, formally assessed within many health technology assessment processes.
- Added ValueIncremental Value, Net Added Benefit
- The additional benefit a technology provides beyond existing standard care, a central consideration within health technology assessment and value-based frameworks.
- AIFAAgenzia Italiana del Farmaco, Italian Medicines Agency
- The Italian Medicines Agency, the national regulatory and health technology assessment body responsible for drug approval, pricing, and reimbursement in Italy.
- Appraisal CommitteeAppraisal Panel, HTA Appraisal Panel
- An appointed group that deliberates on clinical, economic and other relevant evidence to make a health technology recommendation within an institution’s decision framework.
- ASMR RatingASMR, Amelioration du Service Medical Rendu
- A French health technology assessment classification rating a medicine's improvement in actual clinical benefit relative to existing treatments, informing pricing.
- AssessmentTechnical Evaluation, Evidence Evaluation
- Within a health technology assessment process, the technical evaluation of clinical and economic evidence, typically conducted before a final appraisal decision.
B
- Budget ImpactBudgetary Impact, Spending Impact
- Budget impact is the change in expenditure expected for a specified budget holder when a health technology, programme, or policy is introduced compared with the current or alternative funding scenario.
- Budget Impact AnalysisBIA, Budget Impact Assessment
- An assessment of how adopting a health technology or policy would change spending for a particular budget holder over a specified period.
- Budget Impact ModelBIM, Budget Impact Spreadsheet
- A budget impact model estimates how introducing, removing, or changing use of a health technology will alter expenditure for a specified budget holder over a short- to medium-term planning horizon.
- Budget Impact ModellingBudget Impact Modeling, BIA Modelling
- The practice of building and applying budget impact models to estimate the financial consequences of adopting a health technology.
C
- Clinical Development PlanCDP, Development Programme
- The strategic roadmap outlining the sequence of trials a company intends to run to support regulatory approval and subsequent health technology assessment.
D
- Digital AdherenceDigital Health Adherence, App Engagement Adherence
- The degree to which patients engage with and consistently use a digital health technology, such as an app or monitoring device, as intended.
- Digital AdoptionDigital Technology Adoption, Digital Uptake
- The process by which a digital health technology becomes accepted and integrated into routine use by patients, clinicians, or health systems.
- Digital EngagementDigital Health Engagement, User Interaction with Digital Tools
- The degree to which patients or users actively interact with and use a digital health technology, such as an app or portal.
- Digital Evidence FrameworkDigital Health Evidence Standard, Evidence Framework for Digital Tools
- A structured methodology determining the type and quality of evidence required to evaluate a digital health technology, calibrated to its risk and complexity.
- Digital ImplementationDigital Health Implementation, Digital Rollout
- The process of introducing and integrating a digital health technology into routine clinical practice or patient use.
- Digital OutcomeDigital Health Outcome, Digital Endpoint
- A health or economic outcome measure specifically relevant to assessing a digital health technology's impact, including engagement or retention rates.
- Digital SafetyDigital Health Safety, Safety of Digital Tools
- The degree to which a digital health technology avoids causing unintended harm, covering both clinical safety and data security or algorithmic bias.
- 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.
E
- Early Health Technology AssessmentEarly HTA, Early Modelling
- The assessment of a health technology during development to inform design, evidence generation, pricing and market-access strategy.
- End-of-Life CriteriaEnd-of-Life Modifier, Terminal-Illness Criteria
- Special decision criteria applied by some health technology assessment bodies allowing a higher cost-effectiveness threshold for treatments of conditions with short life expectancy.
- EUnetHTAEuropean Network for HTA, EU HTA Network
- The European Network for Health Technology Assessment, a collaborative network promoting methodological consistency and reducing duplication across EU member states.
H
- Health Economics PlanHE Plan, Health Economic Strategy
- A manufacturer's strategic document outlining planned economic modelling, real-world evidence studies, and health technology assessment submissions for a new technology.
- Health TechnologyMedical Technology, Health Intervention Technology
- A broad term covering any intervention used to promote health, prevent or treat disease, or improve rehabilitation and long-term care.
- Health Technology Adoption CurveS-Curve, Diffusion Curve
- A graphical representation of how the rate of adoption of a new innovation typically changes over time, commonly following an S-shaped pattern.
- Health Technology Adoption MonitoringUptake Monitoring, Diffusion Tracking
- The ongoing tracking of how quickly and broadly a newly recommended technology is actually taken up into clinical practice.
- Health Technology AssessmentHTA, Technology Evaluation
- A multidisciplinary assessment of a health technology’s clinical, economic, organisational, social and ethical implications undertaken to support policy and practice decisions.
- HTA Acceptability CriterionAcceptability Standard, Reasonableness Criterion
- A standard used within a health technology assessment to judge whether an intervention or its evidence is reasonable and appropriate.
- HTAiHealth Technology Assessment International, HTA Society
- Health Technology Assessment International, a global professional society bringing together researchers and policymakers working in the field.
I
- INAHTAInternational Network of HTA Agencies, HTA Agency Network
- The International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment, connecting national and regional agencies worldwide for information sharing.
L
- Local Value DossierCountry Value Dossier, Local Payer Dossier
- A country-specific document adapting a global health economic evidence package to a national health technology assessment body's requirements and comparators.
M
- Market AccessPatient Access Pathway, Reimbursement Access
- The overall process by which a manufacturer secures favourable coverage, reimbursement, and clinical adoption for a new health technology.
- Mini-HTAMini Health Technology Assessment, Rapid Hospital HTA
- A simplified, abbreviated form of assessment for use at hospital or department level, typically applied to lower-cost or lower-risk technologies.
N
- Network Meta-Analysis HTANMA in HTA, NMA for Reimbursement
- The application of network meta-analysis specifically within health technology assessment, generating comparative effectiveness estimates when treatments were never studied together.
P
- Professional HTA BodyHTA Expert Society, Assessment Expert Panel
- An organisation representing the collective interests and professional standards of those working in health technology assessment.
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.
S
- Systematic Review HTAHTA Systematic Review, HTA Evidence Review
- A systematic review conducted specifically to support a health technology assessment, focused on comparative clinical effectiveness and safety versus alternatives.
T
- Technology IncidenceTechnology Introduction Rate, New-Tech Entry Rate
- The rate at which a new health technology is adopted into clinical practice over time following its introduction, an input to budget impact models.
- Technology PerspectiveTechnology Viewpoint, Device-Focused Perspective
- An analytic viewpoint defined by the specific health technology being assessed, including all costs and outcomes attributable to it across its uses.