Entscheidungsunterstützung durch gesundheitsökonomische Evaluation in Deutschland aus Perspektive der Wissenschaft

authored by

J. M.Graf Von Der Schulenburg

Abstract

For decades, economic evaluation studies, or cost-benefit analyses (CBA), have been a tool for decision support in the use of public funds. Despite this, in the last few years, debates on the inclusion of CBAs in the German health care system have paid little attention to the findings and practical experiences of scientific research. CBAs - especially the QALY - were instead represented a priori as "unfair" and "discriminatory." Today they have virtually no meaning when it comes to allocation and pricing decisions about publicly funded health services. Of course, CBAs are based on value judgments, which have to be communicated. They can lead to allocations that violate the minimum standards of justice. Here, distributive requirements and criteria are needed and must be developed in an interdisciplinary discourse. However, a general waiver of CBA does not make decisions about the allocation of resources easier, especially since its involvement can contribute to more openness and transparency in the system. Accordingly, for Germany a dual approach is recommended: an interdisciplinary exploration of the methodological foundations of economic evaluation and a consistent application of these in healthcare decisionmaking.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Health Economics

Type

Article

Journal

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz

Volume

55

Pages

660-667

No. of pages

8

ISSN

1436-9990

Publication date

05.2012

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-012-1466-7 (Access: Closed)