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
- Accountability StandardsTermResearch Governance, Ethical Conduct Requirements
- The principles and requirements ensuring researchers and institutions can be held responsible for conducting studies ethically and in compliance with regulation.
- Allocative DistortionTermAllocative Inefficiency, Resource Misallocation
- A departure from the efficient allocation of resources across competing uses, typically caused by market failure, regulation, or mispriced goods.
C
- Cost ContainmentTermCost Curbing, Spending Growth Control, Cost Control
- Efforts aimed at controlling or reducing the rate of growth in healthcare spending, including price regulation, utilisation management, and payment reform.
D
- Digital RegulationTermDigital Health Regulation, SaMD Regulation
- The body of rules governing the development, approval, and use of digital health technologies, including software-based devices and decision support tools.
E
- Ego Depletion ConceptTermEgo Depletion Theory, Self-Control Depletion
- A theory that self-control draws on a limited psychological resource that depletes with repeated use, reducing further self-regulation.
- Environmental Health PolicyTermEnvironmental Health Regulation, Environmental Policy for Health
- Government policy addressing health risks from environmental exposures, such as air pollution or contaminated water, covering regulatory standards and remediation.
- ExchangeTermACA Marketplace, Insurance Plan Marketplace
- An organised marketplace, established under insurance regulation such as the Affordable Care Act, where individuals compare and buy health insurance plans.
G
- Governance BlockTermLeadership and Governance, Governance Function
- A core health system building block encompassing policy, regulation, and oversight mechanisms guiding and coordinating the system's overall functioning.
H
- Health PolicyConceptHealth-Sector Policy, Government Health Decisions
- Government or organisational decisions, plans, and actions intended to achieve specific health-related objectives, covering financing, regulation, and programming.
I
- International ResearchTermMulti-Country Research, Cross-Border Research
- Research conducted across multiple countries requiring careful navigation of potentially differing ethical standards, regulations, and cultural contexts.
L
- Legal StandardsTermLegal Requirements, Statutory Standards
- The specific laws and regulations applicable to a healthcare organisation's operations, covering fraud prohibitions, privacy protections, and licensing requirements.
M
- Mental ContrastingTermMental Contrast Technique, WOOP Method
- A self-regulation technique in which a person compares a desired future outcome against the present reality blocking it.
- Mental Health PolicyTermMH Policy, Psychiatric Policy
- Government or organisational policy governing the financing, delivery, and regulation of mental health services, covering insurance parity and community funding.
P
- Price CapTermPrice Ceiling, Maximum Allowed Price
- A government-imposed upper limit on the price a manufacturer may charge for a drug, used as direct price regulation in some systems.
- Price ControlTermPrice Regulation, Statutory Price Limit
- A government-imposed limit on the price charged for a good or service, set as either a ceiling or a floor.
- Price DistortionTermDistorted Pricing, Market-Signal Distortion
- A deviation of a good's market price from the level that would prevail under efficient conditions, often caused by tax, subsidy, or regulation.
- Pricing PolicyTermDrug Price Policy, Medicines Price Regulation
- The overall set of rules a government or payer uses to determine or influence pharmaceutical prices within its jurisdiction.
- Privacy StandardsTermData Privacy Rules, Privacy Framework
- The specific rules governing how patient health information must be protected and handled, established through regulations such as HIPAA.
R
- RegulationTermRule-Making, Statutory Oversight
- Government-imposed rules governing the conduct of private actors, intended to correct market failures such as information asymmetry, externalities, or market power.
- Regulatory CostTermCompliance 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
- Scope of PracticeTermPractice Scope, Authorised Activities
- The specific range of activities a licensed healthcare professional is legally authorised to perform, defined by licensing regulations and varying by provider type.
- Self-Control ConceptConceptSelf-Control, Impulse Regulation
- The management of conflict between immediate incentives or effort and longer-term goals, especially when the timing of a choice changes what a person prefers to do.
- StewardshipTermSystem Oversight, System Direction
- A core health system building block encompassing overarching responsibility for policy formulation, regulation, and accountability across the system's actors.
W
- Willpower ConceptTermWillpower, Self-Regulation
- The psychological capacity to control impulses and sustain effort toward long-term goals despite competing short-term temptations.
- Workforce PolicyTerm
- Policy governing the training, distribution, and regulation of the healthcare workforce, covering education funding, licensure, and scope of practice.