Resources Repository
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Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2024Resource Pack: Introduction to Benefit-Cost Analysis
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the theory and …
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the theory and practice of benefit-cost analysis. It is targeted towards advanced students as well as practitioners and those interested in teaching benefit-cost analysis. Benefit-cost analysis (also referred to as cost-benefit analysis) is a well-established and widely-used form of economic evaluation. It is designed to inform policy and other decisions by providing evidence on the consequences of alternative interventions. In benefit-cost analysis, all…
Preferences/Values | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2017Resource Pack: U.S. Opioid Epidemic
Opioid misuse and addiction in the United States is an ongoing and rapidly evolving public …
Opioid misuse and addiction in the United States is an ongoing and rapidly evolving public health crisis, requiring an urgent coordinated response and innovative scientific solutions. This resource pack was curated for educators and students interested in how decision analytic methods and tools can be applied to the problem of opioid addiction.
Preferences/Values | Mathematical Models | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2020Resource Pack: SSB Excise Tax Briefs (CHOICES)
Rising rates of obesity represent one of the greatest public health threats facing the United …
Rising rates of obesity represent one of the greatest public health threats facing the United States. Obesity has been linked to excess consumption of sugary drinks. Federal, state, and local governments have considered implementing excise taxes on sugary drinks to reduce consumption, reduce obesity, and provide a new source of government revenue. This resource pack includes a series of briefs describing analyses conducted by the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES), evaluating the health and economic impact…
Microsimulation | Policy/Regulation | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Business/Industry | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation | Quantitative Literacy -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2021Resource Pack: Valuing Health and Longevity in BCA
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the valuation of …
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the valuation of changes in health and longevity in benefit-cost analysis. It is targeted towards advanced students and practitioners who have a basic understanding of the benefit-cost analysis framework, as discussed in the Resource Pack: Introduction to Benefit-Cost Analysis. That pack provides a general overview of the approaches that are explored in more detail here, as well as related guidance documents. This pack…
Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Benefit-Cost Analysis | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation -
ArticlePublication 2020Premature Deaths, Statistical Lives, and Years of Life
This article clarifies some misconceptions about mortality risk and economic valuation. The mortality effects of …
This article clarifies some misconceptions about mortality risk and economic valuation. The mortality effects of exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution are often described by the estimated number of “premature deaths” and the economic value of an exposure reduction as the number of “statistical lives saved” multiplied by the “value per statistical life.” These terms can be misleading because the number of deaths advanced by exposure cannot be determined from mortality data; it…
Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Health Outcomes | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Environmental Health | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Lesson/ModuleVideo, Teaching Resource 2018How Can Cost Effectiveness Analysis be Made More Relevant to U.S. Health Care?
This video is intended to provide an overview of how cost-effectiveness analysis is used to …
This video is intended to provide an overview of how cost-effectiveness analysis is used to guide health policy decisions in other countries and identify barriers to using these findings in the U.S., along with tips on how to increase the chances that these findings will be implemented. This video is part of the Conducting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with VA Data (HCEA) free course offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development…
Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
BookPublication 2018Pricing Lives: Guideposts for a Safer Society
This book describes how the government came to adopt the value of a statistical life …
This book describes how the government came to adopt the value of a statistical life (VSL) approach for valuing changes in mortality risks and argues that its more widespread use would create a safer and more equitable society. The author estimates these values based on how much more money workers would demand to take on more hazardous jobs; his current estimate is $10 million. The book addresses numerous topics such as whether older people’s lives…
Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2017Forum. The Opioid Crisis: A Governors Roundtable
Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for …
Opioid overdoses claim the lives of 91 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This Forum - The Opioid Crisis: A Governors Roundtable, is part of the series, Policy Controversies, and was presented jointly with PRI’s The World & WGBH News. In this multimedia forum, four former governors offered candid insights into how government policy can help, exploring what works and what doesn’t. They spoke about experiences within their own…
Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Outcomes | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
ArticlePublication 2017Valuing Non-Fatal Risks: Monetary and Health-Utility Measures
This article discusses metrics for valuing environmental, health, and safety policies, which should be consistent …
This article discusses metrics for valuing environmental, health, and safety policies, which should be consistent with both the preferences of affected individuals and social preferences for distribution of health risks in the population. Two classes of metrics are widely used: monetary measures (e.g., willingness to pay) and health-utility measures (e.g., quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)). Health-utility measures impose more structure than monetary measures, with the result that individuals’ preferences often appear inconsistent…
Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis