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MUCHE
Level 5, 75 Talavera Road​
Macquarie Park ​, NSW 2109 Meet the team of experts led by Professor Henry Cutler Our research has been published in a number of journals

Translating applied research into actionable outcomes​

Research from the Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy (MUCHE) impacts Australian health policy by enabling decision-makers with independent and qualified information.

Our main objective is to provide government and non-government organisations with world-leading independent and applied research, which can be used to:

  • inform public debate
  • assist decision making
  • help formulate strategy and policy.

Read more about our six key research streams and projects.

Aged care

The aged care research stream explores ways to improve aged care policy and regulation in relation to quality of care, demand, supply and pricing. This includes the use of:

  • sophisticated econometric techniques to measure the impact of policy change on the market
  • stated preference techniques to explore how older Australians and their carers make choices, including measuring which service attributes are valued most.

Stream leader: Professor Henry Cutler

Team members

Health preferences

The health preference research stream studies how patients, providers, and policymakers make decisions and what shapes their choices. Using tools like Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs), this research stream examines:

  • why people choose specific treatments
  • how they use healthcare services
  • what healthcare providers and policymakers prioritise.

The goal is to improve health outcomes by developing strategies that make healthcare more effective, accessible, equitable, and valuable.

Stream leader: Associate Professor Yuanyuan Gu

Team members

Health technology assessment

Health technology assessment (HTA) is the systematic evaluation of the evidence regarding the health and economic impact of health interventions. HTA aims to maximise population health given resource constraints by synthesising evidence, sometimes using economic model, in a form that can be used by policy makers to decide whether a health intervention is value for money.

Within this stream, we:

  • undertake collaborative, multidisciplinary projects with the Australian Government, healthcare organisations and leading researchers
  • conduct economic evaluations for a broad range of conditions and health technologies, including medicines, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital technologies
  • advise on trial design and conduct within-trial analysis, economic modelling, and analysis of linked healthcare administrative data
  • conduct research into HTA methodology and policy in Australia and internationally.

Stream leader: Associate Professor Bonny Parkinson

Team members

Integrated care

This research stream explores ways to facilitate care being delivered through multidisciplinary teams within the healthcare system and across other sectors that impact health outcomes, including:

  • education
  • housing
  • justice.

We evaluate integrated care models for their effectiveness and value, and investigate new ways of funding healthcare to contribute towards funding reform discussions. This research assists the government as they look for ways to extract more value from healthcare spending and better remunerate clinicians and healthcare teams.

Stream leader: Professor Henry Cutler

Team members

Mental health

Research in the stream uses a range of quantitative methods to analyse clinical, administrative, experimental, and observational data to understand the determinants of mental health. We:

  • investigate how mental healthcare can be provided equitably and efficiently through new models of care, treatments, and funding systems
  • study conceptual problems of particular importance in mental health, such as dealing with diagnostic and treatment uncertainty, social spillovers, and the effect of mental health on productivity.

Its goal is to help define policies that improve mental health and economic outcomes.

Stream leader: Associate Professor Jonas Fooken

Team members

Evaluations

All new pharmaceuticals and vaccines in Australia are evaluated by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). The Macquarie University Evaluation Team is one of only eight university groups in Australia entrusted by the federal Department of Health to advise the PBAC. We consider the safety, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the treatments.

The Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) assesses medical services for funding through the Medicare Benefits Schedule. MSAC assesses applications for public funding of health services and technologies, such as diagnostic tests, and advises the federal health minister on which ones are effective and value for money. Macquarie University Evaluation Team also does work for MSAC.

Stream leader: Professor Martin Hoyle

Team members