He­alth­ca­re

The healthcare sector is complex. To position yourself successfully in the long term, you need detailed analyses of the market and economic environment. We determine the (in)adequacy of different reimbursement systems for you, measure willingness to pay for innovations, evaluate new supply models and help you overcome these and additional challenges with our methodological competence and expertise.

Ta­riff sys­tem re­forms (Swiss­DRG, Tar­med, LOA, etc.)

We develop reform proposals for the Swiss tariff systems and provide support for the political processes and court proceedings. Our analyses are data-based, unbiased and created according to scientific standards, providing a neutral opinion for public authorities and courts.

De­ter­mi­na­ti­on of pre­fe­ren­ces and wil­ling­ness to pay

Like everywhere, costs are often a main factor. The same is the case in the healthcare sector. But what about the benefits for those concerned? To give you a solid basis for decision-making, we determine and analyse the preferences of the population on your behalf, and measure willingness to pay for new products and services.

Risk ad­jus­t­ment and risk com­pen­sa­ti­on

We analyse your account data for meaningful morbidity indicators and risk adjustments. We helped develop the classification system that is being used since 2020 for risk compensation between health insurers, and we help you implement the corresponding ordinance (VORA).

Eva­lua­ti­on of he­alth-re­la­ted eco­no­mic in­no­va­tions and HTA

How does the cost-benefit ratio look for your innovations? We are confident that our scientifically substantiated methods can help you increase your innovation when performing health economic evaluations and health technology assessments (HTA). Here we use model calculations and analyse account data (real-life data).

Some of our projects

Spitex Benchmarking Platform

Care, service provider, benchmarking

In-depth comparative analyses of the cost and performance data of the participating Spitex organisations on the basis of harmonised data.

Calculation of the economic costs of addiction

Cost study, addiction

Calculation of the economic costs of addiction in Switzerland, taking into consideration direct and indirect costs. By order of the Federal Office of Public Health.

The economic importance of the healthcare sector in the Canton of Aargau

Impact study, jobs, value creation

Study on the economic importance of the healthcare sector in the Canton of Aargau with a comparison of the cantonal regulation with national Swiss regulations.

Evaluation – bowel cancer screening

Health economics, prevention, pharmacies

Health economic evaluation of the campaign for bowel cancer screening initiated by Swiss pharmacies. On behalf of a Swiss association.

Evaluation – cost model for psychiatry

Outpatient care, statistics, health economics

Evaluating the introduction of a standard cost model for outpatient psychiatry. Analysing the results and data using statistical methods, assessing the incentive effect of the standard cost model according to health economic criteria.

Base rates for hospitals

SwissDRG, inpatient care, benchmarking

Calculating service-based base rates in line with SwissDRG for several Swiss hospitals by means of a nationwide benchmarking.

Additional cost of paediatric care

Children’s hospital, service provider, SwissDRG, tariff setting

Determining various causes of service-related additional costs in children’s hospitals for SwissDRG and AllKidS based on the case costs of Swiss network hospitals.

Regulatory impact analysis of a reference price system for generics

Regulation impact analysis, pharmaceuticals market, reference price system

Regulation impact analysis regarding the implementation of a reference price system in the Swiss market for patent-expired pharmaceuticals. Commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

Improvement of risk equalisation

Health insurance, pharmaceutical cost groups, settlement data

Transferring the Dutch concept of using pharmaceutical cost groups for risk equalisation over to Switzerland. On behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health, in collaboration with the University of Basel.

Dr. Harry Telser

+41 62 205 15 78

Partners

Prof. Dr. Konstantin Beck, University of Lucerne, Switzerland - Prof. Dr. em. Kurt Hersberger, University of Basel, Switzerland - Prof. Dr. Michael Schlander, Division of Health Economics, DKFZ, Heidelberg; Institute for Innovation & Valuation in Health Care, Wiesbaden; Germany - Prof. Dr. Matthias Schwenkglenks, University of Basel, Switzerland - Prof. em. Dr. Peter Zweifel, University of Zurich, Switzerland - Azenes AG, Acturial Advice - Center for Health, Policy and Economics at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland

Clients

pharmacies - physician networks - federal agencies - service providers’ professional associations - cantons - health insurance companies - health insurance associations - national and cantonal industry associations - pharmaceutical companies - pharmaceutical associations - hospitals - Spitex organisations

Publications

The so­cial cos­ts of Du­chen­ne mus­cu­lar dys­tro­phy in Aus­tria

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative muscle disease that is inherited via the X-chromosome. The gradual degeneration of the muscles leads to complete paralysis of the extremities and thus to the loss of the ability to walk, to a high level of care dependency and finally to a premature death. There are no licensed therapies in Austria at present that can stop the degenerative progress of the disease.What are the social costs of DMD in Austria? For the first time, we determined the direct, indirect and intangible costs for each of the four stages of the disease. Wherever possible, we referred to Austrian information on prices and quantities and alternatively used information from international literature or expert estimates. The social costs of DMD totalled EUR 30 million in 2023, which corresponds to EUR 131,000 per patient. Of this amount, 78% (EUR 23.5 million) were indirect costs arising from productivity losses among patients and their relatives (informal caregiving) and from premature death. The indirect costs were significantly higher than the direct costs in all four stages of the disease. The majority of the social costs (48%) were incurred during the last stages of the disease in which the patients have already lost their ability to walk.At last, we estimated the lifetime costs of one patient with an average disease progression to be EUR 4.7 million, accompanied by a loss of approximately 60 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).

Re­view of the PCG mo­del in risk equa­li­sa­ti­on

Since 2020, pharmaceutical cost groups (PCG) have been taken into account in the risk equalisation among health insurers to reflect the morbidity of insured persons. In collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Basel, we revised the PCG model and analysed the effects of the proposed changes empirically. The analyses show that, in addition to new PCGs, adjusted threshold values for the classification of insured persons in the PCGs can improve risk equalisation. Some of the current PCGs should also be removed from the model or further be differentiated. We propose two models for the further development of risk equalisation.Link to the Publication

Cen­tral hos­pi­tals wi­th com­pre­hen­si­ve ca­re func­tion. Ana­ly­sis for da­ta-ba­sed iden­ti­fi­ca­ti­on of cen­tral hos­pi­tals wi­th com­pre­hen­si­ve ca­re func­tion.

Based on our analysis, we identified hospitals within the group of central hospitals (K112) that differ in their patient and service structure from the other central hospitals and therefore incur additional costs due to performance-related factors, using only a few variables. The analysis process was carried out in two steps: First, variables that could define a hospital with comprehensive care function were selected based on expert input. Subsequently, the available variables were analysed using data-driven methods.

Angebote

En­er­gy sup­p­ly

He­alth­ca­re

Fi­nan­cial sec­tor

Me­dia and te­le­com­mu­ni­ca­ti­ons

Com­pe­ti­ti­on eco­no­mics

Re­gu­la­to­ry eco­no­mics and re­gu­la­to­ry im­pact ana­ly­sis

Eco­no­mic po­li­cy ana­ly­ses

Da­ta ana­ly­sis

Bench­mar­king / Ef­fi­ci­en­cy ana­ly­sis

Cos­ting and pri­cing

Pre­fe­rence me­a­su­re­ment / Dis­crete choice ex­pe­ri­ment