Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation最新文献

{"title":"A systematic review of the cost-utility of dapagliflozin for managing chronic kidney disease.","authors":"Ronald Watema-Lord, Feng Xie, Chiranjeev Sanyal","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00793-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00793-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health concern. Dapagliflozin has been demonstrated to improve the quality of life for patients with CKD. This systematic review aimed to summarize the available evidence regarding the costs and cost-utility of dapagliflozin in managing CKD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic literature search was conducted from inception to October 24, 2025, using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus. Titles and abstracts were screened, followed by an eligibility assessment of full texts. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) and Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklists. Cost-utility results were synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The search strategies identified a total of 305 records, of which 8 articles were ultimately included in the review based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. All cost-utility studies were conducted over time horizons ranging from a lifetime to twenty years, with most outcomes derived from a single clinical trial. The highest incremental cost-utility ratio for dapagliflozin ($72,057.91/Quality-Adjusted Life Year) was reported in the USA. According to the available studies, adding dapagliflozin to standard care for CKD management is considered cost-effective from both the healthcare system and payer perspectives.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Incorporating dapagliflozin into standard care for managing CKD is generally regarded as cost-effective from both the healthcare system and payer perspectives. While dapagliflozin shows promise economically, further population-based studies are needed to confirm these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13628934/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sample size, model stability, and the interpretation of adjusted effect estimates: correspondence on Moreira et al.","authors":"Alejandro Chapa-Rodriguez, Hafiz Sarwar, Shraddha Narechania","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00795-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00795-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We comment on the recent retrospective cohort by Moreira and colleagues evaluating intracranial-compliance-guided mean arterial pressure management. The adjusted multivariable logistic regression in the published analysis includes ten estimated coefficients against 22 ICU deaths, producing an adjusted odds ratio reported with a confidence interval spanning more than two orders of magnitude. We outline why these features are consistent with model instability rather than a precise causal estimate, identify a corroborating signal within the same model, and raise two secondary questions about control selection and the headline cost figure. We support the authors' call for prospective evaluation while suggesting that the inferential claims of the present analysis warrant more cautious presentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13340106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing an early scientific advice framework for health technology assessment in Saudi Arabia: insights from global practices and expert consultations.","authors":"Ahmed Al Jedai, Hajer AlMudaiheem, Naif AlOtaibi, Lamia Al Zubaidi, Mohamed Al Shennawi, Nawaf Al Bali, Wejdan Aburas, Hana Alabdulkarim, Afaf Al Shamri, Bandar Al Harbi, Ashraf Al Grain, Ibtissam Al Harbi, Mohamed Khedr, Hind Hajj, Nancy Sayed Awad","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00783-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00783-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early Scientific Advice (ESA) is an independent, non-binding guidance from Health Technology Assessment (HTA) bodies or regulatory authorities to manufacturers before market entry. Unlike company sponsored advisory boards focused on commercial purposes. Saudi Arabia lacks a formal ESA framework representing a policy gap as the country adopts value-based care and evidence-driven reimbursement. This study address gap by proposing a Saudi ESA framework informed by global best practices and stakeholder input.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A narrative review literature review was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and a grey literature to examine established ESA systems, followed by a roundtable with 15 experts representing policymakers, regulators, clinicians, HTA experts, industry, payers, and academia, ensuring multi-stakeholder input.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Benchmarking ESA models implemented by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), and European Medicines Agency (EMA) and integrated roundtable consensus, four key pillars for the Saudi ESA were identified: (1) scope covering both pharmaceuticals and medical devices to support local of new technologies; (2) timing varies for ESA pharmaceuticals, it can be positioned before drug registration during the late stages of clinical development, phase 2 and 3 for diseases of high local relevance, such as rare diseases to align evidence pre-submission while for medical devices ESA would occur primarily in the post-marketing stage; (3) governance positioning the HTA centrally because of its role in value assessment and reimbursement; (4) patients' involvement, facilitated through structured questionnaires, to ensure real-world perspective.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The four ESA pillars (scope, timing, governance, patients' involvement) synthesize current international ESA practices and input from local experts, providing a structured foundation to support efficient evidence generation and alignment between regulatory and reimbursement requirements. Pilot evaluation is still required to validate anticipated benefits.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13625459/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The economic impact of a physician-introduced web portal on lower back pain: results from a cluster-randomized trial.","authors":"Klaus Kaier, Christian Schlett, Piet van der Keylen, Renate Lange, Andrea C Schöpf-Lazzarino, Martin Boeker, Mirjam Körner, Andy Maun, Sebastian Voigt-Radloff, Erik Farin-Glattacker","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00796-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00796-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition that imposes a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. Digital health interventions, such as the web-based tala-med platform, offer an evidence-based approach to patient education and shared decision-making. This study evaluates the financial and cost-effectiveness implications of integrating tala-med into primary care compared to routine care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multi-center, cluster-randomized trial assigned primary care practices (PCPs) in Germany to either an intervention group (IG) using tala-med or a control group (CG) providing routine care. Patients aged ≥ 18 with LBP were recruited and health economic evaluation included a claims-data-based cost analysis of back pain-related healthcare utilization for a three month follow-up. Cost-effectiveness was assessed by comparing additional costs per unit increase in self-reported knowledge and perceived informedness. LBP knowledge ranged from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high) and LBP informedness ranged from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very good). Sensitivity analyses included also non-back-pain related healthcare utilization and restricted the analysis to a sub-cohort of currently employed patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 183 intervention and 133 control patients were analysed. The intervention group demonstrated fewer general practitioner (risk-adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR): 0.86, p = 0.284) and specialist contacts (IRR 0.70, p = 0.009), but significantly more back pain-related sick leave (IRR 8.73, p = 0.001). The adjusted increase in back pain-related costs in the IG was €822.22 (p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses showed minimal impact on total healthcare costs (€145.88, p = 0.819). Cost-effectiveness analysis indicated additional costs of €3328.54 per unit increase in self-reported knowledge and €1611.21 per unit increase in perceived informedness.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>While tala-med use was associated with increased back pain-related costs, total healthcare expenditures remained stable. The reasons for the discrepancy remain unclear but may include increased awareness of LBP or extended recovery periods facilitated by sick leave. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the long-term benefits of digital health interventions in LBP management.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13343678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research on the incentive effect of government tax refunds on R&D investment of pharmaceutical enterprises.","authors":"Qing Xu, Yajing Wang, Shuyong Fu, Guangwei Fan","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00789-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00789-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry relies on sustained R&D investment, but the high-input, long-cycle, and high-risk characteristics of R&D activities often create financing constraints for enterprises. How to effectively incentivize enterprises to increase R&D investment through fiscal and tax policies is a focus of attention for both the government and academia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Based on the panel data of 57 pharmaceutical companies from 2016 to 2024, this study employs a benchmark regression model to investigate the impact of government tax refunds on pharmaceutical companies' R&D investment, and conducts empirical analysis using semi-parametric estimation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>When LTr < 15, the partial derivative graph of tax refunds on R&D investment generally exhibits a horizontal trend. When 15 ≤ LTr, it shows a linear growth trend. For companies with innovative drugs, there is a \"W\"-shaped fluctuation trend between tax refunds and R&D investment, while for companies without innovative drugs, the impact of tax refunds on pharmaceutical companies' R&D investment exhibits a \"U\"-shaped fluctuation trend.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is a certain optimal range for the promotional effect of tax refunds on pharmaceutical companies' R&D investment. Compared with companies without innovative drugs, companies with innovative drugs are more sensitive to tax refunds on R&D investment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13459932/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148377451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging community and facility care: cost-effectiveness of implementing 2019 childhood pneumonia management guidelines in India.","authors":"Archana Thakur, K P Junaid, Devang R Raval, Dhaval Parmar","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00792-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00792-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The present study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of India's 2019 childhood pneumonia management guidelines compared with no treatment, assuming 100% coverage, from a health system perspective.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>The cost-effectiveness analysis parameterised a decision tree model in Microsoft Excel to estimate the incremental cost and effectiveness. Costing followed the normative approach, guided by national guidelines and the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022, to define the types and quantities of resources. Published literature informed epidemiological inputs. Health effects were estimated as disability-adjusted life years (DALY) averted, using the World Health Organisation (WHO) DALY calculation template. The analysis discounted future health outcomes and capital costs at 3% to account for time preference. We reported our results as incremental cost per DALY averted. A probability sensitivity analysis in R software was conducted to estimate the joint effect of parameter uncertainties.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Treating fast-breathing pneumonia in accordance with the 2019 national childhood pneumonia management guideline incurs an incremental cost of 7.83 USD per DALY averted. For possible serious bacterial infections (PSBI), the cost-effectiveness varies by severity and treatment regimen. When managed in an outpatient setting, the additional cost per DALY averted is 2.1 USD, whereas treating PSBI in an inpatient (standard) setting increases the additional cost per DALY averted to 11.6 USD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>India's national childhood pneumonia management guidelines are highly cost-effective and should be scaled up nationwide to reduce the pneumonia burden and improve child survival.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13599094/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148377519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in healthcare utilization before and after the implementation of a national dementia policy in Korea.","authors":"Sewon Park, Selin Woo, Mankyu Choi, Munjae Lee, Mihajlo Jakovljevic","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00785-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00785-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dementia is one of the most serious health issues in an aging society, placing a significant burden on patients and their families, while also posing considerable socioeconomic challenges at the national level. In response, the Korean government introduced the National Responsibility for Dementia Care policy in 2017 to improve healthcare accessibility for patients with dementia and reduce their financial burden.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study utilized the cohort data of patients with dementia collected from Ajou University Hospital between 2012 and 2022. To quantitatively assess the changes in healthcare utilization, we applied panel multivariate negative binomial regression and panel multivariate gamma regression analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis identified key factors influencing healthcare utilization, including place of residence, presence of comorbidities, age, and duration of dementia. After the policy was implemented, there was a general decline in outpatient visits and medical expenditure, suggesting a positive effect of the policy on alleviating the economic burden on patients with dementia.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Significant changes in healthcare utilization were observed among patients in the early stages of dementia, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and home-based care services. The findings indicate a need for personalized treatment and the expansion of community-based healthcare services for patients with dementia.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13430778/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148354347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extended cost-effectiveness analysis in global health systems: a scoping review of geographic gaps and research trends.","authors":"Saman Najafi, Mahmoud Nekoei Moghadam, Mohammad Reza Amiresmaili, Mohsen Barouni, Ali Akbar Haqhdoost, Mohammad Jafari Sirizi, Reza Goudarzi","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00791-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00791-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (ECEA) extends conventional cost-effectiveness analysis by incorporating financial risk protection (FRP) and examining the distribution of health and economic outcomes across socioeconomic groups. This scoping review aimed to map the application of ECEA in health-sector studies, identify methodological patterns, and explore geographic and thematic research gaps.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed on 29 October 2025 in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Studies published between 2000 and 2025 that applied ECEA to evaluate health interventions were eligible for inclusion. Data were extracted on intervention characteristics, analytical approaches, equity measures, and FRP outcomes and were synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1,955 records were identified, of which 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. The included studies primarily evaluated vaccination programs, taxation policies on harmful products, publicly financed health services, and maternal and child health interventions. Financial Risk Protection (FRP) outcomes were most commonly reported as reductions in out-of-pocket expenditures, catastrophic health expenditures averted, and poverty cases averted. Across studies, ECEA was predominantly used to assess the distribution of health and financial outcomes across socioeconomic groups, with outcomes commonly reported by income quintiles.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ECEA applications remain limited and are predominantly concentrated in low- and middle-income countries, particularly within preventive and fiscal health interventions. The reviewed evidence suggests that ECEA provides a useful framework for assessing both health outcomes and financial risk protection across socioeconomic groups. Future research should expand ECEA applications to underrepresented settings and promote greater methodological standardization of equity and FRP measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13573463/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148346970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding provider behavioral responses to capitation prepayment systems: an integrated mixed-methods approach.","authors":"Tao Zhang, Boyu Li, Jing Liu, Jiayue Li","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00790-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00790-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Provider payment mechanisms are critical policy tools for shaping healthcare delivery, yet their effectiveness is mediated by contextual and organizational factors. This study examines the implementation of capitation prepayment under China's Integrated County Healthcare Consortium (ICHC) system, aiming to elucidate the complex interplay of factors influencing provider behavioral responses and the resulting system dynamics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a mixed-methods study in Datong prefecture, China. Qualitative data from 63 semi-structured interviews with county hospital physicians and administrators were analyzed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to identify key influencing factors. Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) were employed to examine the interrelationships and hierarchical structure of these factors. A System Dynamics Model (SDM) was developed using longitudinal data (2015-2019) from 15 county hospitals to simulate the incentive mechanisms of capitation prepayment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis revealed four primary domains influencing provider behavior under capitation prepayment: (1) external environmental factors (population characteristics, economic conditions, market competition), (2) institutional resources (bed capacity, workforce, medical equipment), (3) management strategies (particularly cost-control measures), and (4) service delivery outcomes. Management strategies emerged as the most direct determinant of provider behavior, while environmental factors and institutional resources moderated the effects of payment incentives. The SDM simulations indicated potential unintended consequences, including cost-shifting from inpatient to outpatient services.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study demonstrates that provider responses to capitation prepayment are predominantly driven by institutional cost-control measures, mediated by contextual and resource factors. Policy implementation should address potential unintended consequences through strengthened referral mechanisms between county and tertiary hospitals and enhanced monitoring of service shifting. These findings contribute to the global understanding of payment reform implementation in resource-constrained settings and highlight the importance of contextual adaptation in payment system design.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13573430/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148340693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative evaluation of the medical resource allocation policy in China: a PMC-index model approach.","authors":"Wanwen Jia, Yitian Shao","doi":"10.1186/s12962-026-00788-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12962-026-00788-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A comprehensive policy framework constitutes a crucial institutional foundation for the sustainable development of healthcare systems and quantitative evaluation of public policies offers a scientific basis for policy refinement and optimization. Amid ongoing healthcare reform and profound shifts in the structure of demand for medical resources, systematically assessing the textual quality of national-level medical resource allocation policies, together with examining of their structural characteristics and evolutionary trajectories, carries considerable practical significance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Through a systematic screening process, 16 national-level policy documents on medical resource allocation were identified. Text-mining techniques were applied to extract high-frequency keywords and build a keyword co-occurrence network, after which the PMC-index model was then used to quantitatively assess the overall quality of these policies. Heterogeneity analyses were then conducted across policy quality grades and time periods to reveal structural differences and evolutionary patterns.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average PMC-index across the 16 policies was 6.67, suggesting that China's medical resource allocation policies are generally of relatively high quality. However, the analysis revealed several structural weaknesses, including limited predictive and forward-looking content, insufficient medium- to long-term planning, and an under-supply of higher-level policy instruments. Temporal analysis showed that the PMC-index increased from the Exploration Stage to the Deepening Stage before declining modestly in the Focus Stage.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>China's medical resource allocation policies are of relatively high overall quality, yet further improvements remain necessary. Future policy efforts should focus on three priorities: optimizing the hierarchical structure of the policy system, strengthening policy predictability and medium- to long-term planning orientation, and refining policy content and implementation mechanisms. Together, these efforts would enhance the systematization, stability, and governance effectiveness of the policy framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":47054,"journal":{"name":"Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13560427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148333649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}