Hamburg Center for Health Economics

👉 New publication out by Michael Möller/Eva Wild/Winnie Tan/Jonas Schreyögg #hche: ML for heterogeneous treatment effect estimation in real-world health data. Scoping review: 1,700+ records, 74 studies. Growing use in medical research. Lack of adoption in health economics. doi.org/10.1016/j.jv...

Evaluation consortium at the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) in Berlin

Kick-off evaluation model project genome sequencing @ National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds/GKV-Spitzenverband. We will provide scientific support together with Medical University of Innsbruck & University Hospital Zurich. Thanks for the start to our collaboration! uhh.de/d4n9u

Portrait of Professor Tobias Klein

Today at #HCHE: Prof. Tobias Klein (Tilburg University) explores if GP incentives can cut costs vs patient copays. “Is Physician Cost-Sharing an Alternative to Patient Cost-Sharing?” 📅 Jan 26, 2026 🕓 16:00–17:15 📍 Hamburg (HCHE) #HealthcareEconomics #GPIncentives #HealthPolicy #HealthcareCosts

Portrait of Professor Heiner Schumacher

How does platform design drive prices? Today at #HCHE Research Seminar: Heiner Schumacher (University of Innsbruck) discusses how features like buy boxes & algorithms impact market power, using Medicare Part D as an example.

📅 19 Jan | 16:00 hrs | HCHE

#HealthEconomics #HCHE #Medicare

📢 Job alert: We’re looking for a Research Associate (Health Economics) at the University of Hamburg Business School / #HCHE!
🧬📊 Work on genomic sequencing evaluation + PhD option. 3-year contract (E13 TV-L), full-time/part-time possible.
Apply by Jan 20, 2026. More information: uhh.de/o80hn

Portrait of Benjamin Ukert

📢 Update to today’s #HCHE Research Seminar:
Ana Costa-Ramón had to cancel at short notice.
Thanks to Benjamin Ukert (#TAMU) for stepping in. He presents new work on hospital crowding in Texas and its impact on patient outcomes.
🗓 1 Dec, 16:00 @ HCHE
ℹ️ uhh.de/sj53h
#HealthEconomics #HospitalCrowding

Was macht der Klimawandel mit unserer Psyche? Nach der Klimakonferenz: Welche Gefühle löst der Klimawandel ins uns aus? Und wie können wir mit der psychischen Belastung umgehen?

Studie „Climate Anxiety in Germany“ (A. Hajek & H.-H. König #HCHE) zeigt: Klimaemotionen bei Jugendlichen stark ausgeprägt. Angst, Ohnmacht & Frust wirken psychisch. Selbstwirksamkeit, lösungsorientierte Narrative & klimafreundliches Handeln können Ängste mindern & Resilienz stärken. uhh.de/cuy8z

Group picture of the participants of the conference

We had the pleasure of welcoming numerous national & international researchers to the XVI Workshop of the dggö Committee Allocation and Distribution at #HCHE. Over 2 days we had discussions on topics such as health inequality, provider motivation, hospital regulation, and innovation in healthcare.

Association of climate anger with loneliness and social isolation among the general adult population in Germany - Journal of Public Health Aim Our aim was to investigate the association of climate anger with loneliness and perceived social isolation. Subject and methods We used data from the general adult population in Germany ranging fr...

New publication: Association of #climate anger with #loneliness and social #isolation among the general adult population in Germany
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@springer.springernature.com @hche-uhh.bsky.social

Portrait of Fabian Grünwald

And another summa cum laude – excellent work, Fabian Grünwald! Congrats on the successful defense of your dissertation “Exploring Pharmaceutical Policy and Access in Europe: Three Essays on Marketing Authorization and Regulation”! 🎓 🍾 🏆 We are proud of you! #HCHE

Summa cum laude! Huge congrats to Carolin Brinkmann on the successful defense of your dissertation, “Essays on Health Economic Evaluation, Well-being, and Willingness to Pay Measurement”! You have done very well! The #HCHE team is proud of you! 🎓 🥂 👏

Darf’s auch etwas mehr sein? Zusatzleistungen in der medizinischen Versorgung – Was bedeuten sie für Krankenkassen, Arztpraxen und Patient:innen? Unsere jährliche Veranstaltungsreihe im #HCHE:
👉 HCHE Research Results live
📅 6. November 2025, 17:00 Uhr
📍 Kostenlos, Anmeldung unter uhh.de/5a9xm

Artificial animals, real bonds? Association of animatronic pet ownership and psychosocial outcomes in the German general adult population - Journal of Public Health Aim To investigate the association between having animatronic pets and psychosocial outcomes in Germany. Subject and methods Data were collected from a quota-based sample reflecting the adult population of Germany (aged 18–74 years; total n = 5000). The mean age of participants was approximately 47 years (SD: 15 years). Validated and reliable psychometric instruments were used to measure psychosocial outcomes. Having animatronic pets served as the key independent variable. Adjusted linear regression models were used to analyze the relationships of interest. Results Compared to individuals who neither owned nor were interested in acquiring animatronic pets, both those without animatronic pets but who expressed interest in obtaining one and those who owned animatronic pets exhibited higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, along with increased loneliness, perceived social isolation, and social withdrawal. Such differences were particularly pronounced for those with animatronic pets. Conclusion Individuals with interest in obtaining animatronic pets and those with animatronic pets had poorer psychosocial factors. Further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, cross-country comparisons and longitudinal studies are recommended.

New publication: #Artificial #animals, real bonds? Association of #animatronic #pet ownership and psychosocial outcomes in the German general adult population
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@springer.springernature.com @hche-uhh.bsky.social #depression #anxiety #loneliness #withdrawal #isolation

Group portrait of Robert Messerle, Esra Eren Bayindir, Marcella Alsan, Jonas Schreyögg

Today, US guest researcher Prof. Marcella Alsan presents “Why Doesn’t the United States Have National Health Insurance? The Political Role of the American Medical Association” at #HCHE.
She is currently working on a joint research project with Jonas Schreyögg, Esra Eren Bayindir and Robert Messerle.

Job advertisement

📣 Call for Applications!

We are excited to announce the next cohort of the DFG Research Training Group Managerial and Economic Dimensions of Health Care Quality is launching in April 2026!
We are seeking 12 highly motivated doctoral students to join our interdisciplinary #HCHE team.

👉 uhh.de/gmazf

Portrait of Dr Cate Bailey

On September 29, 2025, Dr Cate Bailey (Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Health Economics, School of Population and Global Health, UoM) will visit the #HCHE to present the topic 👉 "The validity of the EQ-HWB instruments in caregiver, mental health, and general populations for economic evaluation"

Portraits of international researchers Katarzyna Dubas-Jakóbczyk, Tobias Klein, Ana Costa-Ramón, Heiner Schumacher, Gregor Pfeifer, Benjamin Chibuye and Dr. Stefan Sliwa Ruiz.

Starting on 20 Oct 2025, we will be presenting a diverse program of lectures with international guests at the HCHE Research Seminar. Speakers: Katarzyna Dubas-Jakóbczyk, Tobias Klein, Ana Costa-Ramón, Gregor Pfeifer, Benjamin Chibuye & Stefan Sliwa Ruiz.
👉 The events can be found here: uhh.de/lz2h9

Die Bundesgesundheitsministerin hat die Mitglieder der neuen #FinanzKommission Gesundheit berufen. Sie sollen Maßnahmen für eine dauerhafte Stabilisierung der Beitragssätze in der GKV erarbeiten. Mit dabei u.a. #HCHE-Direktor Prof. Dr. Jonas Schreyögg. Zur PM: uhh.de/6w27f

bsky.app/profile/bmg-...

Gesundheitsökonom Schreyögg: Notfallreform könnte pro Jahr fünf Milliarden Euro einsparen Überfüllte Ambulanzen, gestresste Ärzte, hohe Kosten: Die Notfallversorgung gehört zügig reformiert, sagt der Hamburger Gesundheitsökonom Jonas Schreyögg. Auf den Gesetzentwurf der Ampel lasse sich au...

#HCHE-Direktor Professor Jonas Schreyögg im Interview mit der ÄrzteZeitung über das erhebliche Einsparungspotential einer Reform der Notfallversorgung.
www.aerztezeitung.de/Politik/Gesu...

📣 Job alert: Are you interested in applying empirical methods to investigate market behavior? We are looking to hire a PhD student to join a German-French project investigating the role of market power in determining consumer choice using micro-level data. Deadline: 3 September 2025.
👉 uhh.de/mublj

Association of using AI tools for personal conversation with social disconnectedness outcomes - Journal of Public Health Aim To examine the association of using AI tools exclusively for personal conversation with loneliness and perceived social isolation and social withdrawal. Subjects and methods We used data from a qu...

New publication: Association of using AI tools for personal conversation with social disconnectedness outcomes link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@springer.springernature.com
@hche-uhh.bsky.social #loneliness #isolation #withdrawal
#AI #KI

Group photo of HCHE researchers in the foyer on Bali

At this year’s #IHEA2025 World Congress on Health Economics in #Bali (Indonesia), several #HCHE members and associates were guests and presented their research projects. Well done - and have a good and safe journey back home to Hamburg!

Presenting at iHEA

Presenting at iHEA

Just presented at #iHEA2025 on how guiding patients with triage tools can improve emergency care decisions under uncertainty. Great fun sharing our findings—thanks to my @hi-prix.bsky.social & @hche-uhh.bsky.social colleagues for joining and supporting! #healthliteracy #healtheconomics #EDuse #Bali

Isa-Maria Steiner, Prof. Dr. Martin Spindler, Prof. Dr. Jonas Schreyögg, Prof. Dr. Tom Stargardt toast in the HCHE foyer.

Congrats, Isa Steiner, on the successful defense of your dissertation “Balancing Quality of Life and Costs for Patients receiving Biologic Therapies” at the #HCHE / University of Hamburg! We are very happy and proud of you! All the best for your private life and of course for your career! 🎓 🥂 👏

Portrait of Meghan I. Esson

How do private equity (PE) firms boost profits in price-regulated markets? Meghan I. Esson shows that PE exploits regulations to serve high-profit customers while pushing low-profit cases onto government providers.
Today at 16:30 hrs at the #HCHE Research Seminar!

Science Comic: "Politische Perspektive nach der Bundestagswahl – welche Neuerungen werden die Krankenhausversorgung in den kommenden Jahren prägen?" Keynote von Prof. Dr. Jonas Schreyögg

Science Comic: "Patientenpräferenzen stärken: Analyse von Qualitätsindikatoren bei der Wahl des Krankenhauses" von Malin Hüllemann

Science Comic: "Ready to Discharge? Eine empirische Betrachtung des Entlassmanagements in der Kardiologie" von Lena Imhof

Science Comic: "Guiding Patients: Ein Ansatz um die Fehlinanspruchnahme von Notaufnahmen zu reduzieren" von Dr. Sebastian Neumann-Böhme

Gelungener Start für #Research4Talents! Gemeinsam mit Hashtag Gesundheit und zahlreichen engagierten Young Professionals diskutierten wir im #HCHE im Juni 2025 zentrale Fragen zur Transformation der Krankenhausversorgung. Vielen Dank an Anna Breuer für die großartigen Visualisierungen!

Today we welcome to the #HCHE Provider Behavior Workshop guests as Prof. Line Pedersen & Dr. Benjamin Chibuye (University of Southern Denmark), as well as our close academic partners Prof. Daniel Wiesen (University of Cologne) and Dr. Jan Priebe (Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine).

It’s all about the attitude: Findings on internalized caregiver stigma and mental health of informal caregivers AbstractObjectives. In this study, we aim to explore the associations between internalized care-related stigma, positive aspects of caregiving, caregiver b

New publication:
It’s all about the attitude: Findings on internalized #caregiver #stigma and #mental health of informal caregivers
academic.oup.com/psychsocgero...
@hche-uhh.bsky.social ‪‪@geronsociety.bsky.social‬

Tugboats on the river Elbe

📣 Call for Papers for the 16th Workshop of the #dggö committee “Allocation and Distribution” on Nov 14/15, 2025 at the #HCHE! More information & the link to submit papers under uhh.de/sqde5 We explicitly welcome theoretical, empirical & experimental contributions. 📷: Vallbracht/Mediaserver Hamburg

Association of professional environment with loneliness and perceived social isolation among individuals in their second half of life - Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Background Little attention has been paid to the association of job-related factors with loneliness and perceived social isolation. More specifically, studies are missing examining how professional en...

New publication:
Association of #professional #environment with #loneliness and perceived social #isolation among individuals in their second half of life
link.springer.com/article/10.1... @springer1842.bsky.social @hche-uhh.bsky.social