This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by O'Brien, B. Articles by Gafni, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by O'Brien, B. Articles by Gafni, A. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

When Do the "Dollars" Make Sense?

Toward a Conceptual Framework for Contingent Valuation Studies in Health Care

Amiram Gafni, PhD

There is growing interest in the application of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) as a tech nique for the economic evaluation of health care programs. A distinguishing feature of CBA is that costs and benefits are expressed in the same units of value—typically money. A popular method for estimating money values for health care programs is the use of willingness-to-pay (or accept) survey techniques known as contingent valuation. This paper presents a conceptual framework to help in the interpretation or design of contingent valuation studies in health care. To be consistent with the theory upon which CBA is built, the authors consider what types of questions should be asked of what populations. They conclude that studies undertaking contingent valuation should dis tinguish between compensating variation and equivalent variation, and recognize that respondents can be gainers or losers in utility and therefore should be asked willing ness-to-pay (or accept) questions as appropriate. Current critical-appraisal guidance in the health care literature for CBA is poor and unlikely to offer useful demarcation between good and bad CBA studies. More work is needed exploring whether recently issued guidelines for contingent valuation in environmental damage assessment are applicable to health care studies. Key words: cost-benefit analysis; contingent valu ation ; willingness to pay. (Med Decis Making 1996;16:288-299)

Medical Decision Making, Vol. 16, No. 3, 288-299 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/0272989X9601600314


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Oremus and J.-E. Tarride A systematic review of the use of contingent valuation in Alzheimer's disease research Dementia, November 1, 2008; 7(4): 461 - 480. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Khanna, M. Ahmed, D. Yontz, S. S. Ginsburg, and J. Tsevat Willingness to Pay for a Cure in Patients with Chronic Gout Med Decis Making, July 1, 2008; 28(4): 606 - 613. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. A. McFarlane, A. Pierratos, A. M. Bayoumi, and D. A. Redelmeier Estimating Preference Scores in Conventional and Home Nocturnal Hemodialysis Patients Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., May 1, 2007; 2(3): 477 - 483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Fautrel, A. E. Clarke, F. Guillemin, V. Adam, Y. St-Pierre, T. Panaritis, P. R. Fortin, H. A. Menard, C. Donaldson, and J. R. Penrod Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis: New Estimates from the Human Capital Method and Comparison to the Willingness-to-Pay Method Med Decis Making, March 1, 2007; 27(2): 138 - 150. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Basinga, J. Moreira, Z. Bisoffi, B. Bisig, and J. Van den Ende Why Are Clinicians Reluctant to Treat Smear-Negative Tuberculosis? An Inquiry about Treatment Thresholds in Rwanda Med Decis Making, January 1, 2007; 27(1): 53 - 60. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A Boonen, J L Severens, A van Tubergen, R Landewe, G Bonsel, D van der Heijde, and S. van der Linden Willingness of patients with ankylosing spondylitis to pay for inpatient treatment is influenced by the treatment environment and expectations of improvement Ann Rheum Dis, November 1, 2005; 64(11): 1650 - 1652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Claxton, J. T. Cohen, and P. J. Neumann When Is Evidence Sufficient? Health Aff., January 1, 2005; 24(1): 93 - 101. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Briggs, M. Buxton, M. Drummond, R. Goeree, M. J. Sculpher, and A. R. Willan Unfinished Symphony: A Tribute to the Life and Career of Bernie O'Brien (1959-2004) Med Decis Making, October 1, 2004; 24(5): 538 - 544. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. M. Kent, A. M. Fendrick, and K. M. Langa New and Dis-Improved: On the Evaluation and Use of Less Effective, Less Expensive Medical Interventions Med Decis Making, June 1, 2004; 24(3): 281 - 286. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Morris and J. K. Hammitt Using Life Expectancy to Communicate Benefits of Health Care Programs in Contingent Valuation Studies Med Decis Making, December 1, 2001; 21(6): 468 - 478. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. D. Smith The Discrete-choice Willingness-to-pay Question Format in Health Economics:: Should We Adopt Environmental Guidelines? Med Decis Making, April 1, 2000; 20(2): 194 - 204. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. C. Sorum Measuring Patient Preferences by Willingness to Pay to Avoid: The Case of Acute Otitis Media Med Decis Making, January 1, 1999; 19(1): 27 - 37. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. J. Mazur Judgmental Psychology Compiled by ALAN SCHWARTZ, PhD Contingent Valuation BARON J. Biases in the quantitative measurement of values for public decisions. Psychological Bulletin. 1997; 122, 72-88. OLSEN JA. Aiding priority setting in health care: is there a role for the contingent valuation method? Health Economics. 1997; 6, 603-612 Med Decis Making, October 1, 1998; 18(4): 453 - 454. [PDF]