Health economics: evidence resource

The "Health economics evidence resource" provides a summary of economic evidence underpinning public health interventions.The tool shows the key cost-effectiveness and return on investment evidence on activities in the public health grant.

Access the tool here.

Opportunity costs and local health service spending decisions

"All health care systems face the need to find the resources to meet new demands such as a new, cost-increasing health technology."

Opportunity costs and local health service spending decisions: A qualitative study from Wales
S Karlsberg Schaffer, J Sussex, D Hughes, N Devlin
BMC Health Searches Research, 2016

Read more here.

Guidance on priority setting in health care (GPS-Health)

"This Guidance for Priority Setting in Health Care (GPS-Health), initiated by the World Health Organization, offers a comprehensive map of equity criteria that are relevant to health care priority setting and should be considered in addition to cost-effectiveness analysis."

Guidance on priority setting in health care (GPS-Health): the inclusion of equity criteria not captured by cost-effectiveness analysis
OF Norheim, et al.
Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 2014, 12:18

Read more here.

What is the evidence on the economic impacts of integrated care?

"Failure to better integrate or coordinate services along the care continuum may result in suboptimal outcomes and available evidence of integrated care programmes points to a positive impact on the quality of patient care and improved health or patient satisfaction outcomes."

Policy summary 11: What is the evidence on the economic impacts of integrated care?
E Nolte, E Pitchforth
European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
World Health Organization
2014

Read more here.

Nine local actions to reduce health inequalities

"The social sciences have an essential contribution to make if health inequalities are to be reduced."

"If you could do one thing..." Nine local actions to reduce health inequalities
British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
January 2014

Read more here.

Caring for an ageing population

"We looked beyond our own system to examine how Japan has tried to address the conundrum of providing sufficient and appropriate services for an increasing number of frail older people in an affordable and equitable way."

Caring for an ageing population
N Curry, H Holder, L Patterson
November 2013

Read more here.

Structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care

"On the basis of the evidence collected alongside a cluster RCT, a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme for COPD delivered in primary care was, on average, more costly and more effective than the usual general practice care."

The cost-effectiveness of a structured education pulmonary rehabilitation programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care: the PRINCE cluster randomised trial
P Gillespie, et al.
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003479

Read more here.

Impact of 'Virtual Wards' on hospital use

"The costs of providing health care are highly skewed across the population, with a small number of patients accounting for a large proportion of expenditure."

Impact of 'Virtual Wards' on hospital use: a research study using propensity matched controls and a cost analysis
GH Lewis, T Georghiou, A Steventon, R Vaithianathan, X Chitnis, J Billings, I Blunt, L Wright, A Roberts, M Bardsley
National Institute for Health Research Service delivery and Organisation Programme
November 2013

Read more here.

Money well spent?

"This briefing for councillors and officers explains the importance of assessing value for money in helping local authorities fulfil their public health responsibilities."

Money well spent? Assessing the cost effectiveness and return on investment of public health interventions
Local Government Association
November 2013

Read more here.

Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing surgical and endoscopic drainage

"In obstructive chronic pancreatitis, surgical drainage is highly cost-effective compared with endoscopic drainage from a UK NHS perspective."

Trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis comparing surgical and endoscopic drainage in patients with obstructive chronic pancreatitis
P Laramee, D Wonderling, DL Cahen, MG Dijkgraaf, DJ Gouma, MJ Bruno, SP Pereira,
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003676

Read more here.

Telemonitoring after discharge from hospital with heart failure

"Cost-effectiveness analyses suggest that telemonitoring was an optimal strategy in most scenarios, but there is considerable uncertainty in relation to clear descriptions of the interventions and robust estimation of costs."

Telemonitoring after discharge from hospital with heart failure: cost-effectiveness modelling of alternative service designs
P Thokala, et al.
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003250

Read more here.

Securing the future of general practice in London

"Strong primary care is essential in health systems as a means of providing cost effective health care and securing health improvement."

Securing the future of general practice in London
Londonwide LMCs
September 2013

Read more here.

Cost effectiveness of the NHS breast screening programme

"... further primary research will be needed for cost effectiveness studies to provide definitive data to inform policy."

Cost effectiveness of the NHS breast screening programme: life table model
PDP Pharoah, B Sewell, D Fitzimmons, HS Bennett, N Pashayan
British Medical Journal, 2013, 346:f2618

Read more here.

Innovation in health economic modelling of service improvements for longer-term depression

"The purpose of the analysis was to develop a health economic model to estimate the costs and health benefits of alternative National Health Service (NHS) service configurations for people with longer-term depression. Cost-effective service improvements for longer-term depression have been identified. Also identified were limitations of the current evidence for the long term impact of services."

Innovation in health economic modelling of service improvements for longer-term depression: demonstration in a local health community
J Tosh, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:150

Read more here.

Resource modelling to inform decision making and service planning

"Resource modelling of this type complements conventional cost-effectiveness analyses and can help inform policy making and service planning."

Using resource modelling to inform decision making and service planning: the case of colorectal cancer screening in Ireland
L Sharp, et al.
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:105

Read more here.

Cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy

"This strategy is being launched to coincide with The Lancet publication showing the UK’s relatively poor mortality rates and the Department of Health’s call to action to the health and care system to improve mortality rates across the board."

Cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy: improving outcomes for people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease
Department of Health
March 2013

Read more here.

Quality improvement and accreditation mechanisms in primary healthcare

"Overall, the quality improvement studies show evidence of varying support and strength of the effects of quality improvement on outcomes in primary healthcare."

Synthesis of quality improvement and accreditation mechanisms in primary healthcare
M O'Beirne, et al.
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
December 2012

Read more here.

Assessing the impact of economic evidence on policymakers in health care

"This is a systematic review of published studies to assess what is known about how economic evidence from cost-effectiveness analysis or cost-utility analysis makes an impact on health care decisionmaking in the United States and in other countries."

Assessing the impact of economic evidence on policymakers in health care: A systematic review
Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
October 2012

Read more here.

Reforming payment for health care in Europe to achieve better value

"This report examines trends in payment reform in selected European countries to help policy-makers, providers and payers understand developments and prepare for the future."

Reforming payment for health care in Europe to achieve better value
A Charlesworth, A Davies, J Dixon
The Nuffield Trust
August 2012

Read more here.

Cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention

"The scientific literature now points to the value of implementing preventive environmental interventions that are cost-saving and conducting additional cost-effectiveness studies of such interventions."

Cost-effectiveness of environmental approaches to disease prevention
DA Chokshi, TA Farley
New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 367(2):295-297

Read more here.