Is a key member of your health economics team going on maternity leave? Her projects, submissions, and deadlines do not stop. Finding a health economist with the right profile who can step in and contribute quickly is harder than you may think.

Already know you need a freelancer for maternity cover? Tell us what you need and we will connect you with an experienced freelance health economist who can step in quickly. Freiberuflichen Gesundheitsökonomen finden

Maternity leave cover with a freelance health economist

Maternity leave cover is not a permanent hire. It is an interim health economist brought in to bridge the gap and keep projects moving during the leave period. Maternity leave duration varies across European countries, typically ranging from three to twelve months and sometimes longer.

Work that gets interrupted during maternity leave

Ongoing projects. Other team members stepping in to cover ongoing work rarely goes smoothly. Stakeholder relationships, client communication, and project context are hard to pick up mid-stream. Projects tend to stall. A good handover helps, but only if there is an interim health economist with the right expertise to hand over to.

Health economics models in progress. Building or localising models, whether cost-effectiveness, budget impact, or cost-benefit, requires continuity. The reasoning behind modelling choices, past decisions, and submission strategy is often undocumented. That knowledge leaves with the team member.

HTA submission timelines. Delaying HTA submissions or responses to their questions is not an option. You want to stay on the review cycles of HTA bodies such as NICE, G-BA, HAS, AEMPS, or AIFA. You do not want your team to be the one slowing down your company’s market access.

Use of country and therapeutic area expertise. Successful maternity coverage requires finding a freelance health economist with the right country and disease area expertise. These skills cannot be transferred in a handover or learned on the job under deadline pressure.

Common solutions for maternity leave coverage, and why they fall short

• Delegating to other team members is the default response. It is fast and easy to implement. The problem is that most HEOR teams are already at capacity. Adding more responsibility creates overload, reduces the quality of the work, and can delay other projects.
  
  
• Permanent hire is usually not the right solution for maternity leave cover. Recruiting a permanent employee takes time, often longer than finding a freelancer. In addition, many HEOR teams do not have the budget or headcount to add a permanent role for a temporary need.
  
  
• Outsourcing to consulting companies or CROs is an option, but it comes with trade-offs. It still requires a handover similar to bringing in a freelance health economist. Consulting firms are more expensive than hiring an individual freelancer, and working with a company requires defining the work as a project, agreeing on deliverables, and putting contracts in place. It also shifts control to an external partner, whereas a freelancer works within your team and keeps the project under your direct control.
  
  
• Pausing projects might seem like an option, but it is rarely feasible. Try proposing to internal or external stakeholders that you want to delay health economic work on their product for six months and consider the likely response. In most cases, the answer will be no. Submission timelines, client expectations, and project dependencies continue regardless, and you do not want your team to become the bottleneck.

How a freelance health economist can help your team

A freelance health economist is not filling a seat. They are stepping into ongoing projects and the day-to-day cooperation that keeps them moving.

The difference is fit and speed. Fit is finding a freelance health economist with the country-specific and disease area expertise you need for the coverage. Speed is finding that person via EuropeanHealthEconomics.com faster than you would through other routes.

An experienced freelance health economist can start contributing quickly und work independently. A proper handover and well-defined scope and objectives will keep projects on track throughout the leave period.

Bringing in a freelance health economist also keeps you flexible. You can use the support for as long as needed. When your team member returns, the freelancer hands over ongoing work and ends the assignment.

How EuropeanHealthEconomics.com can support you

Get in touch and tell us about your maternity leave coverage need; disease areas, projects and deliverables you need support with. We will identify two or three experienced freelance health economists who are available and suitable for the role. You’ll then review their CVs, interview them, and choose which freelancer you want to work with. The freelancer will work in your team and report directly to you.

EuropeanHealthEconomics.com is a platform specialised in health economics in Europe, built by health economists for health economists. We have a large pool of freelance health economists ready to help. Through our job board, we can also reach freelancers with very specific expertise, meaning we can often find the right person for your needs faster than you would through other routes.

Find a freelance health economist for maternity leave cover

Get in touch and tell us what kind of help you need with your maternity leave coverage. We will help you find the right freelance health economist for your team and keep your projects on track during the leave.