- Dr. Anderson Chuck

Andy, manager of IHE’s Decision Analytic Modelling Unit, let his interests as a student lead him to his current role as a health economist.

“As an undergraduate I did an internship at an Alzheimer’s care facility. That’s when I became more interested in health services research. While I was there I noticed that besides the people who provide care, there is a complex and organized mechanism (the health care system) that provides the organization with the means to provide that care. And I thought the way that mechanism operated was fascinating.”

This passion for research continues to grow at IHE. In an age where governments grapple with how to manage the costs of health care, the research done by Andy and his team will help policy and decision makers determine how to spend health care resources to provide the most benefit to Albertans.

“When thinking about the health care system, it is important that we consider the question of costs, particularly whether there are technologies or interventions or strategies out there that will provide more in return for the money that we’re investing. Is what we are getting back worth the cost?"

Given the complexities of delivering health care, Decision Analytic Modelling is one approach to finding the answers to these types of questions.

“We use modelling to simulate and compare the costs and benefits between different types of health interventions, services, and policies that we couldn’t do in the real world. There are so many factors to consider when making a policy decision that it would be impossible to build a real world study that includes all of them. With modelling, we can bring information from clinical research, epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, etc. together into one integrated analysis that builds a picture for policy makers.”

“We hope that our research will help make better use of limited health resources. When we model for an economic evaluation, what we are really trying to determine is which choice provides the most value for the money. Ultimately, at IHE we are striving to provide research results that will help lead to a more efficient health care system for Albertans.”