Healthcare Economics, Management, and Innovation for Health Systems

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 575

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Healthcare Management Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Economics and Management, Open University Cyprus, P.O. Box 12794, 2252 Nicosia, Cyprus
Interests: health economics; healthcare management; health services research; health methodology; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Healthcare Management Program, School of Economics & Management, Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2220, Cyprus
Interests: healthcare management; health economics; health technology assessment; health policy; public health; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Healthcare systems worldwide face increasing challenges related to cost containment, resource allocation and equitable access to quality care. The intersection of health economics, healthcare management and public health policy is crucial in shaping sustainable and efficient healthcare delivery models. Understanding economic constraints, optimizing healthcare operations and implementing effective policies are essential for improving patient outcomes and addressing disparities in health services. Given the evolving landscape of global health crises, aging populations and technological advancements, research in these areas is more relevant than ever. 

This Special Issue aims to explore innovative approaches and evidence-based strategies that enhance healthcare efficiency, affordability and accessibility. We welcome contributions that examine cost-effectiveness analyses, healthcare financing, digital health innovations, policy evaluations and managerial strategies in various healthcare settings. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

  • Health economics and cost-effectiveness studies;
  • Healthcare management and operational efficiency;
  • Public health policy and its impact on population health;
  • Health equity and access to care;
  • The role of digital health and artificial intelligence in healthcare decision-making.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Michael A. Talias
Dr. Christos Ntais
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health economics
  • healthcare management
  • health policy
  • public health
  • healthcare
  • health technology assessment
  • cost analysis
  • cost-effectiveness
  • cost–benefit
  • cost–utility
  • decision-making
  • reimbursement
  • health care quality
  • digital health
  • health services

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1579 KiB  
Article
Eliciting Distributive Preferences in Health Care Resource Allocation: A Person Trade-Off Study
by Nan Fang, Chang Su and Jing Wu
Healthcare 2025, 13(11), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111309 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 318
Abstract
Background/Objectives: While a preference for an equal distribution of health gains is common, there are situations where individuals may opt to concentrate health gains for a select few. This study investigates how distributive preferences, defined as societal valuations of alternative allocations of fixed [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: While a preference for an equal distribution of health gains is common, there are situations where individuals may opt to concentrate health gains for a select few. This study investigates how distributive preferences, defined as societal valuations of alternative allocations of fixed total health benefits, vary with the magnitude of individual health gains. Methods: Using the person trade-off (PTO) method, we conducted an online survey with a nationally representative sample of Chinese adults (N = 500). The respondents evaluated five allocation programs differing in both individual health gain magnitude and number of beneficiaries. Distributive preferences are classified into five distinct types: diffusion, concentration, maximization, extreme egalitarianism and extreme inequality seeking. Threshold regression analysis identified critical transition points in preference patterns. Results: Non-maximizing tendencies were dominant (79% of the respondents). The health gain threshold was estimated to be 4.6 years (95% CI: [4.28, 4.85]): below this threshold, respondents tend to allocate smaller benefits to more patients (diffusion preference); above the threshold, people are inclined to allocate larger benefits to fewer patients (concentration preference). The income level and self-reported health status of the participants were identified as potential factors influencing distributive preferences. Conclusions: This study provides the first quantitative evidence from China that distributive preferences exhibit a non-linear shift based on the magnitude of health benefits. The identified 4.6-year threshold provides policymakers with an empirically based instrument to strike a balance between efficiency and the reduction in inequality in resource allocation. These findings advocate for incorporating social value weights into health technology assessments, especially for interventions that offer substantial individual benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthcare Economics, Management, and Innovation for Health Systems)
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