In our work as health economists at Symmetron, we often focus on delivering economic evaluations from a health technology assessment perspective, primarily cost-effectiveness and budget impact models. During the development of these critical deliverables, we often identify opportunities to elevate an analysis to journal publication. What truly sets a health economic evaluation apart for peer-reviewed publication is its ability to offer a fresh perspective or a meaningful contribution to the broader literature – whether that's a methodological advancement or a strategic insight.¹ 

Drawing on our extensive experience across client engagements, academic collaborations, and our own peer-reviewed publications, we have identified five key avenues that can transform a project deliverable into valuable, publication-worthy research.

1. New interventions in evolving disease areas or regions

If your economic model was among the first to assess a novel therapy, diagnostic, or digital health intervention, it often presents a compelling case for a journal submission. Publishing research on a new intervention, particularly within a rapidly evolving or high-interest disease area, can be instrumental in establishing the evidentiary standard for future evaluations. Similarly, interventions that are new to a specific country or region can also generate significant interest.² 

A prime example is Symmetron’s work for a respiratory condition, which resulted in a key cost-effectiveness publication for the disease area.^{3, 4} In such cases, it is not just the results that hold value; the approach to model structure, comparator selection, or clinical assumptions can be highly influential. Local stakeholders and decision-makers frequently look to published examples to inform similar decisions in their own jurisdictions. 

2. A methodological innovation 

Peer reviewers and journal editorial boards are always on the lookout for novel methods or innovative applications of existing ones.² Even modest innovations can be highly publishable, especially if they address a known evidence gap or challenge conventional approaches. For instance, your model might handle uncertainty in a unique way, apply a distinct costing methodology, or introduce a new technique that significantly improves model efficiency and run-time.⁵ The core objective of such a publication is to highlight the innovative approach and articulate its importance for other health economists or decision-makers.

3. Solving a challenge

Some of the most impactful studies emerge from successfully navigating a specific, complex challenge. This could involve developing novel approaches for survival data extrapolation in a new disease area or designing a model structure that addresses previously unmet analytical needs.

If your approach effectively resolves a known challenge, it can form the foundation of a highly valuable methodological paper. A notable example is our publication on integrating survival data when information in a disease area was scarce, where propensity score matching was used to fit data from a different, but similar, disease area.⁶

4. An approach that challenges the norm

Occasionally, a project offers a unique opportunity to deviate from standard practices. Perhaps you opted for a partitioned survival model over a traditional Markov model due to the characteristics of your project. If you have deliberately chosen an alternative structure, method, or perspective and can clearly articulate the rationale and implications, your work can add a valuable new dimension to the literature. This type of conceptual framing is particularly appealing to journals with a methodological or opinion-based focus.⁷

5. Timing and market access relevance

The true impact of a publication often hinges on its strategic timing as much as its content. If your model can significantly inform ongoing policy discussions, we frequently advise pursuing a publication, as journals are keen to feature research that engages with current debates in fast moving therapeutic areas.

Final thoughts

Not every economic model needs to culminate in a publication. However, if your project offers something novel, adaptable, or particularly relevant to current challenges in health economics, it may be well worth sharing beyond its initial context. If you are working on a project with publication potential, or if you are unsure how to best frame your economic model for journal submission, we are always happy to discuss the possibilities.

Please feel free to reach out to us here to explore how we can help you turn your valuable insights into impactful publications.

References

1. Springer Nature Link. 2025. The European Journal of Health Economics. Available: Submission guidelines | The European Journal of Health Economics

2. Science Direct. 2025. Value in Health. Available: Guide for authors - Value in Health - ISSN 1098-3015 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

3. Rinciog, C., M. Watkins, S. Chang, T. M. Maher, C. LeReun, D. Esser, and A. Diamantopoulos. 2017. "A cost-effectiveness analysis of nintedanib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the UK." Pharmacoeconomics 35: 479-491.

4. Rinciog, C., Diamantopoulos, A., Gentilini, A., Bondue, B., Dahlqvist, C., Froidure, A., Wuyts, W.A. and Soulard, S., 2020. Cost-effectiveness analysis of nintedanib versus pirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Belgium. PharmacoEconomics Open, 4, pp.449-458. 

5. Whitaker, J., Rinciog, C. and Diamantopoulos, A., 2022. SA46 Using Cloud Computing to Improve the Run-Time of Individual Patient Simulation Models. Value in Health, 25(12), p.S492.

6. Langford, B., Diamantopoulos, A., Maher, T.M., Inoue, Y., Rohr, K.B. and Baldwin, M., 2022. Using data on survival with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to estimate survival with other types of progressive fibrosis interstitial lung disease: a Bayesian framework. Advances in Therapy, pp.1-10.

7. Abimola, 2016. The information problem in global health. BMJ Journals. Available: The information problem in global health | BMJ Global Health