Description
Calculate valued benefit minus a supplied opportunity cost on a common basis.
Health-economic accounting distinguishes evaluation perspective, reference years, utility tariffs, timing and allocated costs. Missing resource use differs from measured zero, and a caller-supplied weight differs from a validated model correction. One cost or budget contribution does not establish cost effectiveness or an appropriate allocation of care.
Calculate valued benefit minus a supplied opportunity cost on a common basis.
When to use this tool
Use Health Service Opportunity Cost Gap when checking the stated supplied health-economic record, timing or allocation convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter opportunityCost, valuedBenefit. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read signedGap. Use the output convention below.
Return valuedBenefit-opportunityCost as a signed gap, using compatible units and the same decision/time basis.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| opportunityCost | Opportunity Cost | Required. Finite number. |
| valuedBenefit | Valued Benefit | Required. Finite number. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| signedGap | Signed first/second difference in the direction and units specified above. | Required. Finite number. |
{
"input": {
"opportunityCost": 12,
"valuedBenefit": 17
},
"output": {
"signedGap": 5
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- Values are supplied; this does not estimate opportunity cost, establish a cost-benefit threshold or recommend health-service allocation.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use a complete justified economic model, verified sources and qualified health-economic/financial assessment for real policy or care-allocation decisions.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Health Cost Batch Inflation Weight Term
Apply one positive inflation multiplier per cost and total the adjusted amounts.
- Hospital Cost Day Case Allocation Term
Split a total hospital cost between day cases and inpatients using normalized supplied weights.