Director: Guodong Liu, PhD

The Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics (CASHE) works with researchers across Penn State as well as other public and private organizations to achieve their research goals. The Center draws upon the academic knowledge and skills, networks and resources at Penn State University to deliver high-quality, tailored research studies as well as a positive, results driven experience for our collaborators. We have the computing resources and technical expertise to assist with:

Health Services Research

Health services research is a diverse, multidisciplinary scientific field. We have conducted studies that address access to healthcare services, the quality of care, the cost and cost-effectiveness of healthcare service delivery, and system redesign.

Study Design

Our faculty help our collaborators determine the most appropriate study design to test study hypotheses taking into account the aims of the study, outcomes of interest, and types of analytic procedures.

Cost and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Our health economists provide services to help researchers assess the cost-effectiveness of their projects. These include identifying direct and indirect costs that will enable decision makers to determine priorities when allocating resources. We can also help determine which healthcare treatments and interventions work best, for which patients, and at what cost.

Health Policy Analysis

We conduct studies and analyze available data to support policy initiatives, assess new healthcare initiatives, and understand implemented policies at institutional and governmental levels using techniques such as cost-benefit analysis to anticipate future needs for healthcare resources.

Health Outcomes Measurement

We have knowledge in selecting appropriate methods and tools to measure healthcare outcomes (such as health resource utilization, clinical outcomes, impact on the general quality of life), to help develop appropriate outcomes measurement tools for specific needs, and to test the validity, variability, and reliability of chosen measurement processes.