Editorial
Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Allocation (CERA) – directions for the future
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* Corresponding author: Rob Baltussen R.Baltussen@sg.umcn.nl
1 Department of Community and Primary Care, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
2 Health Policy Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
3 Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
4 Department of Health Systems Financing, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
5 Health Services Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
6 Regional Advisor for Health Economics, World Health Organization – Regional Office for Africa, The Democratic Republic of the Congo
7 Department of International health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 2009, 7:14 doi:10.1186/1478-7547-7-14
Published: 23 July 2009Abstract
The journal Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Allocation (CERA) is now in its seventh year, and is an excellent example of how open access publishing can improve dissemination. Now the journal is through its infancy, it is time to reflect on its orientation and to define the strategy for the years to come. Firstly, the journal will pay particular attention to stimulating and publishing studies originating from low- and middle-income countries. Second, CERA will continue to solicit contributions originating from high-income countries, but with the caveat that such studies should be of interest to the broad international readership of the journal. Third, the journal encourages submissions on methodological work from any setting, that is generalisable between low-, middle-, and high income countries. Fourth, CERA recognizes the development of national health accounts and expenditure tracking as a first step to improved resource allocation, and solicit manuscripts of this nature. Finally, CERA recognizes that cost and cost-effectiveness analysis alone may not provide sufficient information to decision makers to guide their choices on the allocation of resources, and therefore encourages submission of studies that advance the broader field of priority-setting.