Dr. Christoph Thommen

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Research associate and lecturer
• Co-Head Health Economics Research

Experience

• Co-head Health Economics Research
  WIG, ZHAW
  05 / 2022 - today
• Research associate and lecturer
  WIG, ZHAW
  05 / 2021 - today
• Co-head and statistician
  SwissDRG Inc.
  12 / 2013 - 11 / 2017
• Research assistant
  Statistical services of the City of Berne
  07 / 2013 - 11 / 2013
• Intern
  State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
  01 / 2012 - 09 / 2012
• Subject teacher
  WKS KV Berne
  07 / 2009 - 06 / 2012

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD / Economics
  University of Basel
  08 / 2016 - 04 / 2021
• Master of Science / Statistics
  University of Neuchâtel
  09 / 2013 - 02 / 2014
• Master of Science / Economics
  University of Berne
  09 / 2009 - 09 / 2011
• Bachelor of Science / Economics
  University of Berne
  10 / 2005 - 06 / 2009

Continuing Education

CAS in Health Care Management
Kalaidos FH
03 / 2016

Projects

• Costs of work-related accidents, diseases, and health problems / Team member / ongoing
• Costs of communicable and non-communicable diseases and of the risk factors physical inactivity and overweight in Switzerland / Team member / completed
• Changing care pathways of accident patients from 2000 to 2017 and their impact on health care costs / Deputy project leader / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Wirth, B., Stucki, M., Joerg, R., Thommen, C., & Höglinger, M. (2024). Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on inpatient health care in Switzerland 2020–2021 : a descriptive retrospective study using admission data of all Swiss hospitals. Plos One, 19(7), e0306791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306791
• Thommen, C., & Hintermann, B. (2023). Price versus commitment : managing the demand for off-peak train tickets in a field experiment. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 174(103691). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2023.103691

Books, peer-reviewed

Thommen, C. (2021). On trains, wages and hospitals : three essays in public economics [Doctoral dissertation]. sedruck KG.

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

Wieser, S., Müller, B., Stucki, M., Thommen, C., Vetsch-Tzogiou, C., & Zemlyanska, Y. (2025). Kosten und Finanzierung. In Psychische Gesundheit in der Schweiz: Entwicklung, Förderung, Prävention und Versorgung : Nationaler Gesundheitsbericht 2025 (pp. 404–433). Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS). https://www.obsan.admin.ch/sites/default/files/2025-09/ngb2025_de.pdf

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

Bürgin, R., Vetsch-Tzogiou, C., Stucki, M., Kauer, L., Pirktl, L., van Kleef, R. C., Kohler, A., Drewek, A., Thommen, C., Dettling, M., & Wieser, S. (2024, June 7). Improving risk adjustment in Switzerland with pharmaceutical cost groups. 6th Swiss Health Economic Workshop, Lucerne, Switzerland, 7 June 2024.

Other publications

• Stucki, M., Vinci, L., Vetsch-Tzogiou, C., Grobet, C., Cakir, L., Müller, B., Kohler, A., Marzetta, J., Schärer, X., Sharakin, M., Thommen, C., Zemlyanska, Y., Eichler, K., Wieser, S., Kauer, L., Berger, F., Hughes-Brühlmann, S., Boes, S., Mattli, R., & Lutz, N. (2025). Kosten der übertragbaren und nichtübertragbaren Krankheiten sowie Kosten der Risikofaktoren Übergewicht/Adipositas und Bewegungsmangel in der Schweiz. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-34672
• Thommen, C. (2025). 425 Millionen­ ­US-Dollar für den ­­heiligen Gral der Krankenversicherung. Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2025/05/08/425-millionen-us-dollar-fuer-den-heiligen-gral-der-krankenversicherung/
• Thommen, C. (2025). Tarifanwendungskontrolle in der Krankenversicherung : wie sind Stichproben zu ziehen? Soziale Sicherheit CHSS. https://sozialesicherheit.ch/de/tarifanwendungskontrolle-in-der-krankenversicherung-wie-sind-stichproben-zu-ziehen/
• Thommen, C. (2025). Auch die Verpackung zählt : 450 Mio. Franken Einsparpotential bei Medikamenten. Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2025/01/09/auch-die-verpackung-zaehlt-450-mio-franken-einsparpotential-bei-medikamenten/
• Kohler, A., & Thommen, C. (2024, March). When the market overtakes regulated prices : the case of prescription drugs. 16. Jahrestagung Der Deutschen Gesellschaft Für Gesundheitsökonomie (Dggö), Halle (Saale), Deutschland, 4.-5. März 2024.
• Bürgin, R., Stucki, M., Vetsch-Tzogiou, C., Kauer, L., Kohler, A., Drewek, A., Thommen, C., Dettling, M., & Wieser, S. (2024). Wirkungsanalyse zum Risikoausgleich mit pharmazeutischen Kostengruppen (PCG) : Schlussbericht. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30489
• Thommen, C., Stucki, M., Scholz-Odermatt, S., & Höglinger, M. (2023). Does the shift in initial care provision from general practitioners to emergency departments lead to an increase in costs? : a decomposition analysis with accident claims data. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4635352
• Thommen, C. (2023). Ist ChatGPT der bessere Arzt? Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2023/06/08/ist-chatgpt-der-bessere-arzt/
• Wirth, B., Stucki, M., Jörg, R., Thommen, C., Pahud, O., & Höglinger, M. (2022). Die Schweizer Spitäler in der Covid-19-Pandemie : Auswirkungen auf die Fallzahlen der stationären Gesundheitsversorgung. Schweizerisches Gesundheitsobservatorium (Obsan). https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-26601
• Thommen, C., & Hintermann, B. (2022). Price versus commitment : managing the demand for off-peak train tickets in a field experiment. Universität Basel. https://doi.org/10.5451/unibas-ep89789
• Maurer, M., Wieser, S., Kohler, A., & Thommen, C. (2022). Partnership for health system sustainability and resilience (PHSSR) : sustainability and resilience in the Swiss health system. LSE Consulting. https://www.phssr.org/findings
• Kohler, A., Maurer, M., & Thommen, C. (2022). (Wie) gelingt die Kostendämpfung? Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2022/09/22/wie-gelingt-die-kostendaempfung/
• Thommen, C. (2022). »Breast is best!» oder doch nicht? Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2022/06/09/breast-is-best-oder-doch-nicht/
• Thommen, C. (2021). Ein Glas auf den Babybauch. Gesundheitsökonomie @ ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/gesundheitsoekonomie/2021/11/25/ein-glas-auf-den-babybauch/

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Wieser, S., Kohler, A., Stucki, M., Schärer, X., Thommen, C., Zemlyanska, Y., & Vetsch-Tzogiou, C. (2025, July 23). Beyond health care spending : drivers of health-related production losses in Switzerland. 16th IHEA World Congress on Health Economics, Bali, Indonesia, 19-23 July 2025.
• Thommen, C. (2024, March 5). The direct costs of automated vs. conventional drug dispensing. 16. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (dggö), Halle (Saale), Deutschland, 4.-5. März 2024.
• Thommen, C., Stucki, M., Scholz-Odermatt, S., & Höglinger, M. (2023, March 13). Does the shift in initial care provision from GPs to EDs lead to an increase in costs? : a decomposition analysis with accident claims data. 15. Jahrestagung Der Deutschen Gesellschaft Für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), Hannover, Deutschland, 13.-14. März 2023.
• Thommen, C., Stucki, M., Höglinger, M., & Scholz-Odermatt, S. (2022, July 6). Does increasing emergency department use at the expense of general practitioners really drives up costs? : a decomposition analysis with claims data. 13th EuHEA Conference, Oslo, Norway, 5-8 July 2022.
• Thommen, C., & Hintermann, B. (2022, June 23). Price versus commitment : managing the demand for off-peak train tickets. Annual Congress of the Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES/SGVS), Fribourg, Switzerland, 23-24 June 2022.
• Thommen, C., & Hintermann, B. (2022, February 17). What is the cost of waiting for the next train? : evidence from a field experiment on Swiss long-distance trains. Young Swiss Economists Meeting (YSEM) 2022, Zürich, Switzerland, 17-18 February 2022.
• Thommen, C. (2021). Political budget cycles in public health care expenditure in Switzerland. Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics Annual Congress 2021, Online, 10-11 June 2021.
• Thommen, C., & Schoeman, B. (2020, September 29). The impact of inter-sector business cycles on the gender wage gap : evidence from Switzerland. Verein Für Socialpolitik (VfS) Annual Conference 2020 : Gender Economics, Köln, Deutschland, 27.-30. September 2020.

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