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
- AIFATermAgenzia 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.
- Annuity PaymentConceptInstalment Payment, Installment Payment, Amortised Payment
- A reimbursement structure paying a treatment's total cost to the manufacturer in a series of instalments over time, rather than as a single upfront sum.
- Average Sales PriceTermMedicare Net Price, ASP Benchmark
- A US Medicare pricing benchmark determining reimbursement for physician-administered drugs, based on actual sales prices net of discounts and rebates.
B
- Benefit AssessmentTermClinical Benefit Evaluation, Added Benefit Evaluation
- A formal evaluation of the clinical benefit a treatment provides relative to an appropriate comparator, used to inform reimbursement and pricing decisions.
- Benefit RatingTermBenefit Grade, Clinical Value Grade
- A formal classification reflecting a technology's clinical benefit magnitude relative to existing options, used to inform pricing and reimbursement.
C
- ClaimTermReimbursement Request, Billing Submission
- A formal request submitted by a provider or patient to an insurer seeking payment for covered healthcare services rendered.
- Condition of ParticipationTermCoP, Participation Requirement
- A specific health and safety standard a provider must meet to be eligible for reimbursement from a government health programme.
- Conditional ReimbursementTermOutcomes-Based Reimbursement, Provisional Reimbursement
- A coverage arrangement in which a payer reimburses a treatment provisionally, subject to collecting further evidence confirming its value within a set timeframe.
- Conversion FactorConceptRVU Multiplier, Fee Multiplier
- A monetary amount translating a service's relative value units into an actual payment, the key multiplier connecting physician work to reimbursement.
- Cost LimitTermCost Ceiling, Allowable Cost Cap
- A maximum amount a payer will recognise as allowable cost for a service category when calculating reimbursement, a cost-containment mechanism.
- Cost-Based ReimbursementTermCost Reimbursement, Retrospective Cost Payment
- A payment methodology reimbursing a provider based on actual documented cost, unlike prospective payment systems that pay a fixed amount regardless.
- Coverage PolicyTermCoverage Rules, Reimbursement Policy Rules
- The overall set of rules a payer establishes governing which services and treatments will be reimbursed, and under what conditions.
- Critical Access HospitalTermCAH, Small Rural Hospital Designation
- A designation for small, rural hospitals meeting defined criteria, qualifying them for enhanced Medicare reimbursement to support financial viability.
D
- Data Collection RequirementTermEvidence Generation Requirement, Data Requirement
- A condition attached to a conditional reimbursement decision, mandating collection of additional real-world performance data within a defined timeframe.
- Digital ReimbursementTermDigital Health Reimbursement, DTx Reimbursement
- The policies governing whether and how digital health technologies, such as mobile apps or remote monitoring platforms, are covered and paid for.
- Drug Evaluation CommitteeTermDEC, Formulary Committee
- A formally constituted expert body responsible for reviewing evidence for a pharmaceutical product and recommending its reimbursement or formulary inclusion.
- Duration CapTermReimbursement Time Limit, Cycle Cap
- A contractual limit on the number of treatment cycles or the total time for which a payer will reimburse a specific treatment.
E
- Episode PaymentTermEpisode Reimbursement, Per-Episode Bundled Payment
- A payment covering all services associated with a defined clinical episode, such as surgery and recovery, rather than separate payments per service.
- Episode-Based PaymentTermBundled Episode Reimbursement, Care-Episode Reimbursement
- A methodology reimbursing a single, comprehensive amount for all care within a defined clinical episode, incentivising efficient, coordinated care.
- Evidence Generation PlanTermEvidence Development Plan, Post-Approval Evidence Plan
- A prospectively developed strategy outlining what further clinical or real-world evidence will be collected after a technology's initial approval or reimbursement.
- External Reference PricingConceptERP, Cross-Country Reference Pricing
- A medicine-pricing policy that uses prices for the same or comparable product in other jurisdictions as benchmarks for a domestic price or reimbursement decision.
F
- Fee ScheduleTermPayment Schedule, Reimbursement Schedule
- A comprehensive list specifying the predetermined payment amount a payer will reimburse for each specific service, organised by standardised procedure codes.
G
- Gene Therapy AnnuityTermAnnuity Payment Model, Instalment Reimbursement
- A proposed payment model spreading reimbursement for a high-cost gene therapy over annual instalments tied to its demonstrated durability, rather than one upfront lump sum.
- Generic Reference PricingTermGeneric-Based Reference Pricing, Cluster Reference Pricing
- A reimbursement policy setting a fixed level based on a generic drug's price, requiring patients or the brand manufacturer to cover any difference.
H
- HASTermHaute Autorite de Sante, French National Authority for Health
- The French National Authority for Health, conducting assessment including SMR and ASMR ratings that inform pricing and reimbursement decisions.
- Health Reimbursement ArrangementTermHRA, Employer Health Account
- A US employer-funded account reimbursing employees for qualified medical expenses tax-free, with unused funds typically staying with the employer.
I
- Internal Reference PricingTermDomestic Reference Pricing, Therapeutic Class Pricing
- A policy grouping therapeutically similar drugs and setting a single reference reimbursement level, requiring patients to pay any difference for pricier options.
L
- Listing DecisionTermPositive Listing, Reimbursement Listing
- A formal determination on whether a treatment will be included on a health system's approved formulary, and under what conditions.
M
- Manufacturer SubmissionTermCompany Submission, Sponsor Dossier
- The complete package of clinical and economic evidence a manufacturer provides in support of a coverage or reimbursement application.
- Market AccessTermPatient Access Pathway, Reimbursement Access
- The overall process by which a manufacturer secures favourable coverage, reimbursement, and clinical adoption for a new health technology.
- Market Access PlanTermReimbursement Plan, Coverage Plan
- A manufacturer's strategic document outlining how a new technology will be positioned to achieve favourable coverage and reimbursement across relevant payers.
- Market Access StrategyTermMA Strategy, Access Strategy
- A manufacturer's overall plan for achieving favourable coverage, reimbursement, and clinical adoption for a new treatment, integrating pricing and evidence generation.
N
- Network Meta-Analysis HTAConceptNMA 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
- Passive PurchasingTermPassive Reimbursement, Budget-Following Purchasing
- A financing approach in which a payer simply reimburses whatever services are provided, without negotiating price or monitoring quality.
- Payer Value MessageTermPayer-Focused Value Message, Reimbursement Value Story
- A concise statement summarising a technology's value specifically framed to address payer priorities, such as budget impact and cost-effectiveness.
- Payment AmountTermPayment Level, Reimbursement Amount
- The specific figure a payer reimburses a provider for a service or episode, determined according to the applicable payment methodology.
- Payment PolicyTermReimbursement Policy, Provider Reimbursement Policy
- The overall set of rules a payer establishes governing how providers will be reimbursed for the services they deliver.
- Positive ListTermReimbursement List, Inclusion List
- A list explicitly specifying which medications or services are covered under a health plan, unlike a negative list specifying exclusions.
- Provider PaymentConceptProvider Reimbursement, Payment Mechanism
- Provider payment refers to the methods and arrangements through which healthcare providers are paid for delivering services, including fee-for-service, capitation, bundled payments, salaries, global budgets and value-based payment.
R
- Rate SettingTermReimbursement Price Determination, Payment Level Setting
- The overall process by which an insurer or regulator determines premium or payment rates for a health insurance product or contract.
- ReimbursementTermCoverage Payment, Third-Party Payment
- The payment made by a health insurer or payer to a healthcare provider for services rendered to a covered patient.
- Reimbursement CommitteeTermCoverage Committee, Payer Decision Panel
- A formally constituted body responsible for reviewing evidence and deciding whether and how a technology will be reimbursed.
- Reimbursement DecisionTermCoverage Verdict, Reimbursement Verdict
- The formal determination by a payer regarding whether, and under what conditions, a technology will be financially covered for a population.
- Reimbursement DossierTermReimbursement File, Payer Dossier
- A comprehensive document submitted by a manufacturer presenting clinical and economic evidence supporting a treatment's requested reimbursement status.
- Reimbursement RestrictionTermFunding Restriction, Restricted Coverage
- A coverage limitation, such as restricting a treatment to a patient subgroup or requiring prior therapy failure, to manage cost or ensure appropriate use.
- Reimbursement SubmissionTermFunding Application, Coverage Dossier
- A formal application requesting coverage or reimbursement for a new technology, supported by clinical and economic evidence.
- Restricted ListingTermRestricted Reimbursement, Conditional Listing
- The inclusion of a treatment on a reimbursement list subject to specific conditions, such as a patient subgroup restriction or prior authorisation.
- Retrospective PaymentTermRetrospective Reimbursement, Cost-Reimbursement Payment
- A methodology reimbursing a provider based on actual costs or charges incurred, determined after care has been provided, unlike prospective payment.
S
- Spending CapTermReimbursement Cap, Payer Spending Limit
- A predetermined upper limit on total spending a payer will reimburse for a treatment or drug class within a defined period.
U
- Unrestricted ListingTermOpen Listing, Unrestricted Reimbursement
- The inclusion of a treatment on a formulary without limitations on patient eligibility or prior authorisation, following a positive value finding.