Introduction: The DHE Unit Cost Online Database was launched in 2016 to support the feasibility of conducting economic evaluations in the Austrian setting with publicly available unit cost information. It is a regularly updated online database collated by the Department of Health Economics (DHE), Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna. It aims to provide readily available unit costs and increase awareness of different unit cost sources and their associated limitations as well as unit cost reporting standards. Unit costs are defined as the costs incurred in producing one unit of a good or service and can be of different levels, e.g. cost per consultation, cost per minute, cost per inpatient day, cost per hospital episode.
The current version 4.1 (last content update May 2022) contains published Austrian unit costs identified in an updated systematic review of the literature of costing studies and economic evaluations on the Austrian health and social care sector and a grey literature search of published reports by relevant national HTA (Health Technology Assessment) agencies and key stakeholders in health economics. It covers estimates of direct medical and non-medical costs for services delivered in the hospital sector, practice-based outpatient sector, long-term care and rehabilitation sector as well as indirect costs in Austria. Medication costs and average costs per patient per disease are generally excluded. Included unit costs are complemented by a short description of their source and limitations as stated in the original source without further independent quality check by the DHE.
Access: The database is free to access after registration and agreement to the citation requirements at the following link.
Citation: Download and use of the database is conditional on the citation of the database and the relevant publication:
- DHE Unit Cost Online Database: Cost Collection from Existing Studies. Version 4.1/2022. Vienna: Department of Health Economics (DHE), Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna
- Mayer S, Kiss N, Łaszewska A, Simon J (2017): Costing evidence for health care decision-making in Austria: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 12(8): e0183116. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183116.
User guide and screenshot: A detailed guide on how to interpret the entries of the inventory including a screenshot of the inventory is provided here.
Contact: In case of any errors or missing information in terms of costing studies are detected, please send an email to dhe@meduniwien.ac.at.
Further note: Methodologically harmonized, robust, validated, multi-sectoral reference unit costs (RUCs) for a core set of resource use items have recently been calculated as part of the European H2020 PECUNIA project. The PECUNIA RUC Compendium covers several European countries including Austria and is the recommended source of unit cost information for those services already covered in the PECUNIA RUC Compendium.
Authors and copyright: © Department of Health Economics, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna 2017
Disclaimer: The authors and copyright holders (© Department of Health Economics, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna 2017) bear no responsibility for the use of the DHE Unit Cost Online Database, or for interpretations or inferences based on this use. The responsibility for users' research, projects and publications using the DHE Unit Cost Online Database and in particular with regard to the research results lies solely with the user. Although reasonable efforts to provide all the available information of the included unit costs correctly were made, the authors and copyright holders make no warranties (expressed or implied) or representations of any kind as to their accuracy or completeness.
Last update: 13 October 2022