Journal profile · HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES
Health Systems
ISSN 2047-6965 · eISSN 2047-6973 · Taylor & Francis
Health Systems: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 367 days to acceptance (45 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 6% (journal website); 23 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Health Systems is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Healthcare Operations and Scheduling Optimization, Healthcare Policy and Management and Electronic Health Records Systems, together about 38.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Health Systems promotes the idea that all aspects of health and healthcare delivery can be viewed from a systems perspective. The belief of the journal is that health and healthcare systems are characterized by complexity and interconnectedness, where "everything affects everything else". The principal aims of Health Systems is to bring together critical health operations and IT research and commentary, and to provide a forum that welcomes diverse viewpoints and research approaches. To find out more about the journal ethos, please read our inaugural editorial. We encourage submissions that provide an interdisciplinary perspective and insights to benefit multiple disciplines. We focus on submissions that look at healthcare systems and publish research that explores health IT and operational research– areas that are underrepresented by research publications. Each area has a dedicated editor that understands the domain and the international view from a systems perspective. We welcome submissions in the following health systems areas: AI and Data Science Clinical Informatics and Telemedicine Consumer Health Informatics and Mobile Health Digital Transformation of Healthcare Disease Modelling Group Modelling and Facilitation in Healthcare Health IT Quality and Evaluation Health System Evaluation using OR for Emerging Problems (e.g. Covid19, Global Challenges) Healthcare Design Science Human-Computer Interaction in Health Mathematical Modelling Omics and Precision Healthcare Operations Management Problem Structuring and Soft OR Public Health Informatics Simulation Modelling Technical Architecture of Health IT We encourage potential authors to contact our Area Editors to see if their research fits within the scope of Health Systems. Pure science disciplines, such as for example clinical medicine, biochemistry and pharmacology do not fall within the remit of Health Systems. Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymized peer-reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees. Special Issues We welcome ideas for special issues from those that have previously published in our journal or have acted as a reviewer for the journal for at least a year. Proposals must be submitted with support from an existing Area Editor, who will act as the special issue sponsor and will join the guest editorial team. Provided that these requirements are met, special issue proposals should be sent to the Editors-in-Chief, and should con
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES
Editor-in-chief Samir ChatterjeePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 7, United Kingdom 4, Canada 2, Japan 1, India 1 (21 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Healthcare Operations and Scheduling OptimizationHealth Professions19.6%
- Healthcare Policy and ManagementEconomics, Econometrics and Finance12%
- Electronic Health Records SystemsHealth Professions7.2%
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.7%
- Mobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsHealth Professions4.6%
- Primary Care and Health OutcomesHealth Professions4.4%
- Healthcare Systems and TechnologyBusiness, Management and Accounting4.2%
- Hospital Admissions and OutcomesMedicine4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Portico, CLOCKSS, Crossref, AIS eLibrary, British Library, CABS Academic Journal Guide (Rank 2), Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), Microsoft Academic, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.45LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.45Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.88Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.57%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 75,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 347 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41 | 28 | 7 |
| 2025 | 23 | 23 | 16 |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 109 |
| 2023 | 23 | 23 | 202 |
| 2022 | 22 | 22 | 258 |
| 2021 | 21 | 21 | 164 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
367 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 255 days – 496 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (45 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 386 days
- Sample
- 45 articles with submission and acceptance dates (49 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 6%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 140 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted7
- article commentaryHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- case reportHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- position papersHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- practitioner columnHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- research articleHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- review articleHealth Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
- titan paper (invited-only)Health Systems accepts the following types of articles: Research Article Review Article Case Report Position Papers Article Commentary Practitioner Column Titan…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics
Pure science disciplines such as clinical medicine, biochemistry and pharmacology are out of scope. Model summary
Pure science disciplines, such as for example clinical medicine, biochemistry and pharmacology do not fall within the remit of Health Systems.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Health Systems is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readersh…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees after editor suitability assessment. Model summary
Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymized peer-reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 2047-6965
- Electronic ISSN
- 2047-6973
- Society / sponsor
- Operational Research Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Health Systems
What CAS zone is Health Systems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Health Systems is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Health Policy & Services. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Health Systems?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at Health Systems?
Based on the dates recorded on 45 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 367 days (interquartile range 255–496 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 6%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Health Systems based?
Of the 21 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (7), United Kingdom (4) and Canada (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Health Systems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Health Systems is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Health Systems open access, and what is the APC?
Health Systems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .