Articles

Adjuvant treatment of high-risk melanoma – cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment options for BRAF 600 mutated tumors

Until recently, adjuvant treatment options for higher stage resectable cutaneous melanoma were limited. Two studies with a similar set-up, published 2017, led to registration of targeted therapy for BRAF-mutat...

Authors: Steffen Wahler, Alfred Müller, Sabine Fuchs and Johann-Matthias von der Schulenburg

Epidemics, pandemics and income inequality

The novel coronavirus is part of a series of infectious disease outbreaks that include: Ebola, Avian influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and Influenza A. This paper addresses the question ...

Authors: Chrys Esseau-Thomas, Omar Galarraga and Sherif Khalifa

Examining proximity to death and health care expenditure by disease: a Bayesian-based descriptive statistical analysis from the National Health Insurance database in Japan

Japan is one of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries where population aging and increasing health care expenditures (HCE) are urgent issues. Recent studies have identifie...

Authors: Yuji Hiramatsu, Hiroo Ide, Atsuko Tsuchiya and Yuji Furui

Forgone healthcare and financial burden due to out-of-pocket payments in Bangladesh: a multilevel analysis

Ensuring access to health services for all is the main goal of universal health coverage (UHC) plan. Out-of-pocket (OOP) payment still remains the main source of funding for healthcare in Bangladesh. The assoc...

Authors: Md. Mizanur Rahman, Md. Rashedul Islam, Md. Shafiur Rahman, Fahima Hossain, Ashraful Alam, Md. Obaidur Rahman, Jenny Jung and Shamima Akter

Quality of life and cost consequence of delays in endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke in China

Although endovascular therapy (EVT) improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke, the time of EVT initiation significantly influences clinical outcomes and healthcare costs. This study eva...

Authors: Weiyi Ni, Wolfgang G. Kunz, Mayank Goyal, Lijin Chen and Yawen Jiang

Grey systems in the management of demand for palliative care services in Poland

The concept of care for people in a critical or even terminal health condition, who are in the last stage of their life, has become the mission of palliative care facilities. Therefore, the life of a sick pati...

Authors: Sylwia Nieszporska

Economic burden of multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional study in Iran

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating disease that imposes a heavy socioeconomic burden on societies. This study aimed to determine the economic burden of MS on patients using the first (CinnoVex a...

Authors: Mehdi Rezaee, Khosro Keshavarz, Sadegh Izadi, Abdosaleh Jafari and Ramin Ravangard

How innovation can be defined, evaluated and rewarded in health technology assessment

What constitutes innovation in health technologies can be defined and measured in a number of ways and it has been widely researched and published about. However, while many countries mention it as a criterion...

Authors: Juan Carlos Rejon-Parrilla, Jaime Espin and David Epstein

Supporting strategic health purchasing: a case study of annual health budgets from general tax revenue and social health insurance in Abia state, Nigeria

Tracking general trends in strategic purchasing of health financing mechanisms will highlight where country demands may exist for technical support and where progress in being made that offer opportunities for...

Authors: Chinyere Mbachu, Chinyere Okeke, Chinonso Obayi, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Nkechi Olalere, Ikechi Ogbonna, Benjamin Uzochukwu and Obinna Onwujekwe

Out-of-pocket payments and catastrophic expenditures due to traffic injuries in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

To estimate the out-of-pocket expenditures linked to Road Traffic Injuries in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as well as the prevalence of catastrophic expenditures among those out-of-pocket payments, and to identi...

Authors: Laurène Petitfour, Emmanuel Bonnet, Isadora Mathevet, Aude Nikiema and Valéry Ridde

Quality of public health insurance and individuals’ consumption structure upgrades: evidence from China

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the quality of public health insurance and individuals’ consumption structure upgrades in China.

Authors: Pengfei Zhang and Jinghua Gao

The effect of gender-specific labor market conditions on children’s weight

Macroeconomic conditions are widely known to influence health outcomes through direct behavioral change or indirect mental effects of individuals. However, they have not received much attention in relation to ...

Authors: Bongkyun Kim, Michael R. Thomsen, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr. and Anthony Goudie

Hospitalization budget impact during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

The aim was to determine the direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Spain’s health budget.

Authors: F. J. Carrera-Hueso, L. Álvarez-Arroyo, J. E. Poquet-Jornet, P. Vázquez-Ferreiro, R. Martínez-Gonzalbez, D. El-Qutob, M. A. Ramón-Barrios, F. Martínez-Martínez, J. L. Poveda-Andrés and C. Crespo-Palomo

Cost-effectiveness analysis of Vaborem in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) -Klebsiella pneumoniae infections in Italy

Vaborem is a fixed dose combination of vaborbactam and meropenem with potent activity against target Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) pathogens, optimally developed for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenem...

Authors: Francesco Saverio Mennini, Mario Gori, Ioanna Vlachaki, Francesca Fiorentino, Paola La Malfa, Duccio Urbinati and Massimo Andreoni

The cost-utility of early use of high-flow nasal cannula in bronchiolitis

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen is a non-invasive ventilation system that was introduced as an alternative to CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), with a marked increase in its use in pediatric ca...

Authors: Jefferson Antonio Buendía, Ranniery Acuña-Cordero and Carlos E. Rodriguez-Martinez

Health system efficiency in OECD countries: dynamic network DEA approach

In recent years, measuring and evaluating the efficiency of health systems has been explored in the context of seeking resources to ensure the sustainability of ‘countries’ health and social systems and addres...

Authors: Beata Gavurova, Kristina Kocisova and Jakub Sopko

COVID-19 healthcare cost and length of hospital stay in Turkey: retrospective analysis from the first peak of the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care systems are under extreme pressure. This study analyzed health care resource use (HCRU) and costs in patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and aimed to estima...

Authors: Ergun Oksuz, Simten Malhan, Mustafa Sait Gonen, Zekayi Kutlubay, Yilmaz Keskindemirci and Fehmi Tabak

Using predicted length of stay to define treatment and model costs in hospitalized adults with serious illness: an evaluation of palliative care

Economic research on hospital palliative care faces major challenges. Observational studies using routine data encounter difficulties because treatment timing is not under investigator control and unobserved p...

Authors: Peter May, Charles Normand, Danielle Noreika, Nevena Skoro and J. Brian Cassel

Which factors increase informal care hours and societal costs among caregivers of people with dementia? A systematic review of Resource Utilization in Dementia (RUD)

Nearly 19 million people across OECD countries are living with dementia, and millions of family caregivers are affected by the disease. The costs of informal care are estimated to represent 40–75% of the total...

Authors: Renira C. Angeles, Line I. Berge, Marie H. Gedde, Egil Kjerstad, Maarja Vislapuu, Nathalie G. Puaschitz and Bettina S. Husebo

Effect of COVID-19 on demand for healthcare in Togo

Demand-side barriers to health care are as important as supply-side factors in deterring patients from obtaining effective treatment during COVID-19. Developing countries, including Togo, have focused on reduc...

Authors: Yaovi Tossou

Assessing direct healthcare costs when restricted to self-reported data: a scoping review

In the absence of electronic health records, analysis of direct healthcare costs often relies on resource utilisation data collected from patient-reported surveys. This scoping review explored the availability...

Authors: Samira B. Jabakhanji, Jan Sorensen, Gintare Valentelyte, Lee Ann Burke, Brendan McElroy and Aileen Murphy

Cost of provision of essential health Services in Public Health Centers of Jimma zone, Southwest Ethiopia; a provider perspective, the pointer for major area of public expenditure

Provision of up-to-date cost information is crucial for not only addressing knowledge gap on the cost of essential health services (EHS) but also budgeting, allocating adequate resources and improving institut...

Authors: Diriba Feyisa, Kiddus Yitbarek and Teferi Daba

The addition of neoadjuvant pertuzumab for the treatment of HER2+ breast cancer: a cost estimate with real-world data

Breast cancer (BC) is largely prevalent worldwide. HER2-positive BC account for roughly 20–25% of all BC cases and has an overall survival lower than other BC. Innovation on BC therapeutics is a constant, but ...

Authors: Andreia Borges, Filipa Pereira, Patrícia Redondo, Luís Antunes, Cláudia Vieira, Pedro Antunes, Maria José Bento, Susana Sousa, José Machado Lopes, Francisco Rocha-Gonçalves, Joaquim Abreu de Sousa, Deolinda Sousa Pereira and Marina Borges

Financial balance of home nursing care providers in the Czech Republic

To enable people to live in old age in their own homes often requires specialised home care services. Despite the high importance of these services, the finance of home nursing care (HNC) is still under-invest...

Authors: Petr Fiala, Iva Holmerova, Tomas Ruda and Michal Steffl

Cost analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic review

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a treatable disease with a high prevalence, and high morbidity associated with significant socioeconomic costs.

Authors: Celia Gutiérrez Villegas, María Paz-Zulueta, Manuel Herrero-Montes, Paula Parás-Bravo and María Madrazo Pérez

Distributional health and financial consequences of increased cigarette tax in Iran: extended cost-effectiveness analysis

To assess the potential impact of a tax-induced cigarette price increase on financial and health outcomes by different socioeconomic groups.

Authors: Behzad Raei, Sara Emamgholipour, Amirhossein Takian, Mehdi Yaseri, Ghahreman Abdoli and Ahad Alizadeh

Using point-of-care diagnostic testing for improved antibiotic prescription: an economic model

Antibiotics have been overprescribed to treat infectious diseases and have generated antimicrobial resistances that reduce their effectiveness. Following the rationale behind the new paradigm of personalized m...

Authors: F. Antoñanzas, C. A. Juárez-Castelló and R. Rodríguez-Ibeas

Multiple effects health economic evaluation of the Ahead of The Game Study for mental health promotion in sporting club communities

This study evaluates the Ahead Of The Game (AOTG) mental health promotion strategy for adolescent males relative to usual practice in team based sporting club community settings, allowing for joint incremental...

Authors: Simon Eckermann, Nikki McCaffrey, Utsana Tonmukayakul, Christian Swann and Stewart Vella

Economic evaluation of process utility: elucidating preferences for a non-invasive procedure to treat restenosis

In health economic evaluation, utility associated with a health state is outcome-oriented and usually measured using the QALY methodology. Even though there is consistent evidence of utility not only being der...

Authors: Maria V. Aviles-Blanco

Decisions of persons, the pharmaceutical industry, and donors in disease contraction and recovery assuming virus mutation

The article develops an eight-period game between N persons and a pharmaceutical company. The choices of a donor and Nature are parametric.

Authors: Kjell Hausken and Mthuli Ncube

Overcoming COVID-19 in China despite shortcomings of the public health system: what can we learn?

The COVID-19 pandemic started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Although there are some doubts about the reporting of cases and deaths in China, it seems that this country was able to control the epidemic mor...

Authors: Mei Mei Wang and Steffen Fleßa

Impact of the 2014 coinsurance rate revision for the elderly on healthcare resource utilization in Japan

Cost sharing, including copayment and coinsurance, is often used to contain medical expenditure by decreasing unnecessary or excessive use of healthcare resources. Previous studies in Japan have reported the e...

Authors: Takumi Nishi, Toshiki Maeda, Susumu Katsuki and Akira Babazono

Using the MEAT VBP Framework to analyse and understand the value of surgical gloves: an explanatory case study

Value-based healthcare is being extensively piloted, scaled and implemented by healthcare providers and systems around the world. However, the ability of the healthcare supply chain function to strategically c...

Authors: Benedict Stanberry, Gerhard Bothma and Katie Harrison

Economic burden of lung cancer in Turkey: a cost of illness study from payer perspective

This study was designed to estimate economic burden of lung cancer in Turkey from payer perspective based on expert panel opinion on practice patterns in clinical practice.

Authors: Irfan Cicin, Ergun Oksuz, Nuri Karadurmus, Simten Malhan, Mahmut Gumus, Ulku Yilmaz, Levent Cansever, Halit Cinarka, Erdogan Cetinkaya, Murat Kiyik and Ahmet Ozet

Convergence in public health expenditure across the Sub-Saharan African countries: does club convergence matter?

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries that currently face enormous healthcare challenges have implemented national health policies focusing on regional or international health commitments. These health commitmen...

Authors: Ousmane Traoré

Distributed education enables distributed economic impact: the economic contribution of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to communities in Canada

Medical schools with distributed or regional programs encourage people to live, work, and learn in communities that may be economically challenged. Local spending by the program, staff, teachers, and students ...

Authors: John C. Hogenbirk, David R. Robinson and Roger P. Strasser

Economic evaluation of HIV testing options for low-prevalence high-income countries: a systematic review

This study reviewed the economic evidence of rapid HIV testing versus conventional HIV testing in low-prevalence high-income countries; evaluated the methodological quality of existing economic evaluations of ...

Authors: Olanrewaju Medu, Adegboyega Lawal, Doug Coyle and Kevin Pottie

Investing preventive care and economic development in ageing societies: empirical evidences from OECD countries

The proportion of the elderly aged 65 years old or above will reach 16% in 2050 worldwide. Early investment in effective prevention would generally reduce the morbidity, complication, functional disability, an...

Authors: Fuhmei Wang and Jung-Der Wang

Analytical methods to assess the impacts of activity-based funding (ABF): a scoping review

Activity-Based Funding (ABF) has been implemented across many countries as a means to incentivise efficient hospital care delivery and resource use. Previous reviews have assessed the impact of ABF implementat...

Authors: Gintare Valentelyte, Conor Keegan and Jan Sorensen

Mendelian randomization: estimation of inpatient hospital costs attributable to obesity

Mendelian Randomization is a type of instrumental variable (IV) analysis that uses inherited genetic variants as instruments to estimate causal effects attributable to genetic factors. This study aims to estim...

Authors: Katherine Dick, John E. Schneider, Andrew Briggs, Pascal Lecomte, Stephane A. Regnier and Michael Lean

Can financial payments incentivize short-term smoking cessation in orthopaedic trauma patients? Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

Smoking increases the risk of complications and related costs after an orthopaedic fracture. Research in other populations suggests that a one-time payment may incentivize smoking cessation. However, little is...

Authors: Dana Alkhoury, Jared Atchison, Antonio J. Trujillo, Kimberly Oslin, Katherine P. Frey, Robert V. O’Toole, Renan C. Castillo and Nathan N. O’Hara

Preferences of patients with asthma or COPD for treatments in pulmonary rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) aims to improve disease control in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. However, the success of PR-programs depends on the patients’ participatio...

Authors: Kathrin Damm, Heidrun Lingner, Katharina Schmidt, Ines Aumann-Suslin, Heike Buhr-Schinner, Jochen van der Meyden and Konrad Schultz

Time-to-event analysis in economic evaluations: a comparison of modelling methods to assess the cost-effectiveness of transplanting a marginal quality kidney

Economic-evaluations using decision analytic models such as Markov-models (MM), and discrete-event-simulations (DES) are high value adds in allocating resources. The choice of modelling method is critical beca...

Authors: Sameera Senanayake, Nicholas Graves, Helen Healy, Keshwar Baboolal, Adrian Barnett and Sanjeewa Kularatna

Note from the editor, January 2021

Authors: J.-Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg, Sebastian Braun and Jan Zeidler

Commentary: on the effects of health expenditure on infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from panel data analysis

This commentary assesses critically the published article in the Health Economics Review. 2020; 10 (1), 1–9. It explains the effects of health expenditure on infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa using a panel d...

Authors: Mwoya Byaro

Development of a pharmacoeconomic registry: an example using hormonal contraceptives

Disease-specific registries, documenting costs and probabilities from pharmacoeconomic studies along with health state utility values from quality-of-life studies could serve as a resource to guide researchers...

Authors: Annesha White, Meenakshi Srinivasan, La Marcus Wingate, Samuel Peasah and Marc Fleming

Arrangements with the NHS for providing healthcare services: do they improve financial performance of private for-profit hospitals in Spain?

In developed countries around the world there is a trend to enhance the public-private collaboration in healthcare. In Spain, a decentralized country with a NHS funded with taxes and universal coverage, commis...

Authors: María Victoria Ruiz-Mallorquí, Inmaculada Aguiar-Díaz and Beatriz González- López Valcárcel

“Top-down bottom-up” estimation of per capita cost of new-born care interventions in four regions of Ghana: beyond implementation to scalability and sustainability

Limited financial, human and material health resources coupled with increasing demand for new-born care services require efficiency in health systems to maximize the available sources for improved health outco...

Authors: Robert Kaba Alhassan, Edward Nketiah-Amponsah, Nana A. Y. Twum-Danso, John Bawa, Williams Kwarah, Sebnem Ucer and Abdul Fatawu Ibn Abass

Telemedical emergency services: central or decentral coordination?

Teleemergency doctors support ambulance cars at the emergency site by means of telemedicine. Currently, each district has its own teleemergency doctor office (decentralized solution). This paper analyses the a...

Authors: Steffen Fleßa, Rebekka Suess, Julia Kuntosch, Markus Krohn, Bibiana Metelmann, Joachim Paul Hasebrook, Peter Brinkrolf, Klaus Hahnenkamp, Dorothea Kohnen and Camilla Metelmann

What drives different treatment choices? Investigation of hospital ownership, system membership and competition

Differences in ownership types have attracted considerable interest because of policy implications. Moreover, competition in hospital markets is promoted to reduce health care spending. However, the effects of...

Authors: Esra Eren Bayindir and Jonas Schreyögg