Professor Brent s book is a superb and much-needed text in the field of health care evaluation. The economic approaches for appraisal of health care programs are presented with greater clarity than any other available text. A comprehensive review of cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost utility analysis, and cost benefit analysis is given in a simple and yet very insightful manner that pointedly demonstrates their fundamental principles, methodological requirements, and common linkages for evaluation research. The book skilfully merges theory and application of the economic analyses of health care, combining the latest literature with adroit illustrations of required methodologies and easily understandable examples that inform the reader of how empirical evaluation research should be conducted. Major evaluation concerns about the appropriateness of discounting health benefits, the appropriate discount (interest) rate, and intangible benefits and costs are critically appraised. Not only is the criterion of economic efficiency of health care programs explored directly and with lucidity, but the important social question of the equity of health interventions is also assessed straightforwardly. Students of health care as well as health policy analysts and administrators are provided with a considerable solid foundation for undertaking evaluation of complex health care issues. In short, Professor Brent has even made the economics of health care evaluation accessible to non-economists in the health care field. Paul L. Solano, University of Delaware, US Cost benefit analysis is the only method of economic evaluation which can effectively indicate whether a health care treatment or intervention is worthwhile. This book attempts to build a bridge between cost benefit analysis, as developed by economists, and the health care evaluation literature which relies on other evaluation approaches such as cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness analysis and cost utility analysis. Robert Brent explains the many different ways in which these other valuation techniques can be converted into cost benefit analysis and examines both the traditional (human capital) and modern (willingness to pay) approaches. Case studies are used throughout to explain and illustrate the various methodologies being examined. The author follows an applied economics approach, in which methods and ideas are evaluated according to practicability and not according to their theoretical purity. Ultimately, he resolves a number of disputes and makes some new, but subtle, contributions by reinterpreting, correcting and extending existing work. The book covers the topic in an accessible manner, from the foundations to the frontiers of the field, and clearly explains all the necessary economic principles along the way. Cost Benefit Analysis and Health Care Evaluations will be invaluable to students and researchers of economics, public policy and health care policy, as well as policymakers and health care practitioners. It can also be used as a comprehensive introductory text by anyone with an interest in cost benefit analysis.

This book provides the reader with a comprehensive set of instructions and examples of how to perform an economic evaluation of a health intervention, focusing solely on cost-effectiveness analysis in healthcare.

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The purpose of economic evaluations in healthcare is to affect decision making. So how do you determine the best use of scarce resources, in terms of benefits gained from expenditures? The purpose of this book is to review the methods of economic evaluation and how they may be used optimally, and with practical results. It includes review articles on familiar analytical tools, opinion papers on areas of contention, and guidelines on how to apply and analyse economics tools, methods and models.

This book provides the reader with a comprehensive set of instructions and examples of how to perform a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of a health intervention. Developed out of a course run by Jordan Louviere at the University of Technology, Sydney, entitled An Introduction to Stated Preference Discrete Choice Modelling it has a particular focus on the use of stated preference survey methods to identify consumer preference data, as well as the use of recent developments in cost-effectiveness analysis within a CBA framework. In doing so, the most up to date methodologies for CBA are compiled in a comprehensive manner with the aim of advancing the methodology of CBA in healthcare. ABOUT THE SERIES Series editors Alastair Gray and Andrew Briggs Economic evaluation of health intervention is a growing specialist field, and this series of practical handbooks tackles, in depth, topics superficially addressed in more general economics books. Each volume includes illustrative material, case histories and worked examples to encourage the reader to apply the methods discussed, with supporting material provided online. The series is aimed at health economists in academia, the pharmaceutical industry and the health sector, those on advanced health economics courses, and health researchers in associated fields.

In today's world of scare resources, determining the optimal allocation of funds to preventive health care interventions (PHIs) is a challenge. The upfront investments needed must be viewed as long term projects, the benefits of which we will experience in the future. The long term positive change to PHIs from economic investment can be seen across multiple sectors such as health care, education, employment and beyond. Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research is the fifth in the series of Handbooks in Health Economic Evaluation. It presents new research on health economics methodology and application to the evaluation of public health interventions. Looking at traditional as well as novel methods of economic evaluation, the book covers the history of economics of public health and the economic rationale for government investment in prevention. In addition, it looks at principles of health economics, evidence synthesis, key methods of economic evaluation with accompanying case studies, and much more. Looking to the future, Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research presents priorities for research in the field of public health economics. It acknowledges the role played by natural environment in promoting better health, and the place of genetics, environment and socioeconomic status in determining population health. Ideal for health economists, public health researchers, local government workers, health care professionals, and those responsible for health policy development. Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research is an important contribution to the economic discussion of public health and resource allocation.

Health inequalities blight lives, generate enormous costs, and exist everywhere. This book is the definitive all-in-one guide for anyone who wishes to learn about, commission, and use distributional cost-effectiveness analysis to promote both equity and efficiency in health and healthcare.