Health Economics

The mission of the knowledge network Health Economics is to promote the development and application of health economic knowledge inside and outside Tranzo. To this end, we work together with colleagues from TiSEM and with numerous other national and regional organisations. The research topics cover the broad scope of prevention and care. From prevention to patient logistics, from behavioral change to funding issues, and from ageing to the organisation of care in chains and networks.

The knowledge network consists of prof. dr. Richard Janssen (also Erasmus University Rotterdam), prof. dr. ir. Bert Meijboom (also TiSEM), prof. dr. Caroline Baan (also RIVM) and prof. dr. Johan Polder (also RIVM).

Example – Health economic aspects of infectious diseases.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases can have a major impact on society. This is not only about the burden of disease, but also about costs: medical costs, productivity losses, costs for patients themselves, costs for the business community and costs to combat the outbreak. Cost evaluations can help to organise the management of future outbreaks of infectious diseases more efficiently, was the conclusion of a recent PhD project. This research has examined various outbreaks of infectious diseases: the measles epidemic, an outbreak of salmonella, an outbreak of a resistant bacterium in a hospital and the possible spread of ebola in the Netherlands. In addition, the PhD candidate carried out a number of economic evaluations of interventions that could prevent further spread of infections. These economic evaluations often contribute to the development of new policies aimed at infectious diseases and the making of informed choices of new interventions. An example of a favourable intervention is the introduction of screening for hepatitis B and C among first generation migrants. With these and other examples, the dissertation offers a solid economic basis for the practice of infectious disease control in the Netherlands.