What is true about the cost-minimization analysis?

Cost-minimization analysis is a method used in health economics to compare the costs of different interventions that are expected to have equivalent outcomes. The focus here is purely on identifying the least expensive option among interventions that yield similar results; hence, it is crucial that the treatments being compared are equally effective for the analysis to be valid.

The reason that the requirement for treatments to be equally effective is correct is because the cost-minimization approach relies on the premise that there are no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the alternatives. This allows decision-makers to consider only the costs involved in those treatments, simplifying the analysis fundamentally to a cost comparison rather than a cost-effectiveness ratio or any outcome-based evaluations.

In contrast, focusing only on financial costs without outcomes misses the core essence of cost-minimization since it would disregard the importance of clinical effectiveness in making recommendations. A comparative analysis of cost per unit of effect is indicative of cost-effectiveness analysis, which accepts that clinical outcomes may vary. Lastly, assuming all patients have the same response does not align with real-world variability in patient responses to treatments, but this is not a limitation relevant to cost-minimization analysis per se, as it is more concerned with overall equality in therapeutic effectiveness rather than specific patient responses.