CAHE researchers are committed to driving safe, effective and efficient healthcare solutions that are responsive to consumer needs globally.
The nature of health economics is significant in that it contributes to multiple disciplines, such as measurement of health outcomes, program evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, implementation science, data management, welfare economics and the theory of incomplete markets.
We aim to further develop and apply health economics methods to identify innovative interventions that provide greater health benefits at reasonable cost and contribute to knowledge through improved health economics methodologies. Our research has significantly enhanced the health and well-being of people both locally and globally. We will address measurement issues related to improving the patient experience and the patient’s health outcomes, preferences in health care, engaging the public in health policy decision-making and the value of health and well-being.
Economic evaluation of healthcare interventions and programs
To investigate value for money we undertake cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses to compare the health benefits and resources between competing services, devices, programs and models of care.
Measuring consumer preferences for healthcare interventions and services
Understanding consumer preferences for healthcare is integral for service planning and ongoing success by eliciting what is important for patients and end-users within our health system. The consumer voice is integral to a well-functioning and responsive health system and these inputs are studied through discrete choice experiments and citizens jury research methods.
Valuing health and healthcare
Various techniques are used to estimate health state utility weights, such as Discrete Choice Experiments. Our recent research has considered a novel method for eliciting a monetary value of health-related quality of life, and we are developing disease-specific measures for specific populations.
Health technology assessment
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) team are responsible for evaluating new technologies and programs for federal and state government agencies. Current and past research include; evaluating new technologies for the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) for listing and payment through Medicare, evaluating the opt-out participatory arrangement for the My Health Record, Horizon scanning for new technologies, and HTA for Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) Singapore.
Health Services Research
We have developed expertise in health services research, focusing on the performance, quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare services as they relate to health problems of individuals and populations, as well as healthcare systems.
Our recent contributions to this field consider core areas of policy and its effectiveness in changing behaviour; care services and people’s access to services; efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services; and the quality of healthcare services and its relationship to health status.
Clinical epidemiology, biostatistics and data analytics
Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Data Analytics concerns the design, data management, and analysis of health research studies. It is essential that health research involving human participants is conducted to the highest possible standards, and all modern research involving human participants relies on appropriate study design and statistical methods to provide the highest quality evidence.
As a consequence our work is fundamentally important across clinical, public health, and health service research areas. CAHE staff lead their own methodological and applied research to develop and strengthen methods that inform modern health research, as well as collaborating with a wide range of clinical and biomedical investigators within Griffith University and Gold Coast University Hospital.
Get in touch
Contact the Centre for Applied Health Economics on (07) 3735 - 9117