The Pecunia study focuses on mental health. The study which took place between 2018-2022 is part of a longstanding, innovative research line on intersectoral costs and benefits that has been ongoing since 2011 within the research unit on health economics and HTA and now as part of Maastricht Health Economics and Technology Assessment” Center (MaastrichtHETA). This means that all relevant costs and benefits of economic evaluations, both within and outside the health care sector, are taken into account. 'Standardising the research framework and costing methods will facilitate fairer comparisons between countries.' What makes PECUNIA special within health economics is the fact that it takes a multi-sectoral perspective. 'You can’t compare results obtained from different methods.' The goal of EU project PECUNIA was to develop a standardised, harmonised method for the assessment of costs and benefits in European health care systems.

Professor of Public Health Technology Assessment Silvia Evers wonders if there are real differences or if these differences result from the use of different methodological approaches. 'Methodological improvements can provide insight into cost savings in other sectors.'Īsk researchers in different European countries to assess the value of a health or health care intervention and you will get different results. The project focuses on the costs and especially the benefits of these kinds of interventions in other sectors of society.

Why do different European countries use such different methods to make economic evaluations? Health economists from various European countries are working closely together on three-year EU project PECUNIA to arrive at a standardised method for the economic assessment of health and health care interventions.

Dr pecunia before and after