Economic Evaluation Overview
POLARIS > Economic Evaluation
Economic Evaluation Overview
Public health professionals can use economic evaluation to identify, measure, value, and compare the costs and consequences of different public health interventions. Allocating resources and implementing these interventions—whether policies or programs—require an understanding of the relationships between resources used and health outcomes achieved by the program or intervention.
Economic evaluation can consider both resources used and health outcomes achieved simultaneously. It can also be useful in supporting decision-making when resources are limited.
Different methods of economic evaluation can help you answer different questions:
Program Cost Analysis: What is the cost of the program or intervention?
Cost of Illness: What is the economic burden of the condition?
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: How do costs compare to outcomes?
Cost-Benefit Analysis: How do costs compare to benefits?
Explore this site to learn more about economic evaluation and how it can be used in public health policy and practice.
Resources
Economics and Public Health at CDC
MMWR on the use of economics at CDC and in public health
CDC Introduction to Economic Evaluationexternal icon
Course providing a broad overview of economic evaluation methods with illustrative examples from public health
CDC Public Health Economics and Tools
CDC webpage that provides economic evaluation tools and trainings created by CDC and its partners
The Use of Economics in Informing US Public Health Policy external icon
American Journal of Preventive Medicine supplement that covers a broad range of issues and methodologic approaches to illustrate the many ways that economics can be used to inform public health policy
HHS Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysispdf iconexternal icon
Provides guidance on methods, data, and best practices for regulatory impact analyses for HHS agencies