The outcome of IHE initiatives is providing better information for developing health policy and best medical practices. IHE disseminates information in many ways. In addition to publications in peer-reviewed journals, IHE produces books and a variety of reports synthesizing information in a particular field.
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| John Paul Ekwaru, Arto Ohinmaa, Sarah Loehr, Solmaz Setayeshgar, Thanh Nguyen, Paul J Veugelers
Objective: Public health decision makers not only consider health benefits but also economic implications when articulating and issuing lifestyle recommendations. Whereas various estimates exist for the economic burden of physical inactivity, excess body weight and smoking, estimates of the economic burden associated with our diet are rare. In the present study, we estimated the…
On December 12th, 2016, the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) held a roundtable discussion regarding the role of real-world evidence (RWE) in decision-making in Canada, with a focus on RWE generated for pricing and reimbursement. The meeting brought together 11 representatives of key stakeholders: experts in evidence assessment, payers, and those generating RWE including academia…
Economic evaluation helps policy makers and healthcare payers make decisions on drug listing, coverage, and reimbursement. When economic evaluations are conducted before a product launch, the prices of the pharmaceuticals have to be forecast.
| Thanh Nguyen, Anderson Chuck, Tracy Wasylak, Jeannette Lawrence, Peter Faris, Olle Ljungqvist, Gregg Nelson, Leah Gramlich
BACKGROUND: In February 2013, Alberta Health Services established an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) implementation program for adopting the ERAS Society colorectal guidelines into 6 sites (initial phase) that perform more than 75% of all colorectal surgeries in the province. We conducted an economic evaluation of this initiative to not only determine its cost-effectiveness,…
| Arto Ohinmaa, Yufei Zheng, Thomas Jeerakathil, Scott Klarenbach, Unto Häkkinen, Thanh Nguyen, Dan Friesen, Jane Ruseski, Padma Kaul, Ruolz Ariste, Philip Jacobs
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the trends and regional variation of stroke hospital care in 30-day in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 1-year total hospitalization cost after implementation of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy.
| Thanh Nguyen, Justin Ezekowitz, Dat Tran, Padma Kaul
BACKGROUND: Eplerenone has been demonstrated as being cost effective for the treatment of patients with systolic heart failure (HF) and mild symptoms in several jurisdictions; however, its cost effectiveness is unknown in the context of Alberta, Canada.
Objective: The objective of this paper is to estimate the additional mental health service costs incurred within the criminal justice system that are incurred because of people with mental illnesses who go through the system. Our focus is on costs in Alberta.
| Anderson Chuck, Thanh Nguyen, James Wesenberg, Rhada Chari, Robert Wilson, Selikke Janes-Kelley
Objectives: In 2006, the Alberta Ministry of Health issued a policy to implement fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing as a publicly funded service for pregnant women. The goals were to reduce maternity health care utilization and unnecessary treatment, which would result in cost-savings for the health system by more accurately diagnosing false preterm labour. We conducted a post-policy…
In October 2015, we held the first Canadian consensus discussion that led to provisional recommendations regarding special considerations for policy-making and healthcare decisionmaking for interventions in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The meeting included 11 representatives of key stakeholders: patients, care providers, and policy researchers from across…
Objectives: To estimate the life expectancy and specify the causes of death among people with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Methods: Included were all patients recorded in Alberta provincial databases of inpatients, outpatients, or practitioner claims from 2003 to 2012. People with FAS were identified by ICD-9 code 760.71 and ICD-10 codes Q86.0 and P04.3, and were linked…
Abstract: Canada having a universal health insurance plan that provides hospital and physician benefits offers a natural experiment of whether continuity ofcare actually provides lower or higher utilization of services. The question we are evaluating is whether Canadians, who have a regular physician, use more health resources than those who do not have one? Using two statistical…
Abstract: The cost of drug development is commonly cited between US$800 and US$1.8 billion. A similar statistic for vaccines is yet to be estimated, and it is unclear whether the cost of vaccines is similar to drug development. Financial and regulatory policy significantly impacts the extent and cost of pharmaceutical development, and as such it is important that…
| Thanh Nguyen, Anderson Chuck, Arto Ohinmaa, Philip Jacobs
Objectives: To estimate the monetary benefits of ramipril and its distribution over time among four beneficiaries in Canada: the drug developing manufacturer, generic manufacturers, the healthcare sector and employment sectors.
| Christa Harstall, Paul Taenzer, Nancy Zuck, Donna Angus, Carmen Moga, Ann Scott
Rationale, Aims, and Objectives: The Alberta Ambassador Program (AAP) adapted seven clinical practice guidelines on low back pain (LBP) into a single guideline spanning the continuum of care from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment. The Ambassador adaptation process was evaluated to 1 Identify the major challenges encountered and successful strategies utilized;…
INTRODUCTION: Varicella vaccine was introduced to the infant immunization schedule in each province or territory between 2000 and 2007 as a result of the Canadian ImmunizationStrategy. The impact of vaccinating children against this disease is potentially far reaching, asimmunization may also benefit those segments of the population not immunized. The objective of this paper…
| Thanh Nguyen, Jessica Moffatt, Philip Jacobs, Anderson Chuck, Egon Jonsson
Objectives: To estimate the break-even effectiveness of the Alberta Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Service Networks in reducing occurrences of secondary disabilities associated with FASD.
Abstract: Medical wait time is a top health policy issue in Canada. Reliable data on the referral wait time from primary to specialty care are limited. Existing data on referral wait times are generally self-reported by specialists. In 2008, the Edmonton North Primary Care Network (PCN) developed a Centralized Referral Program, including a specialist database that contains…
The Provincial Industry Payer Agreements in an Era of National Purchasing Strategies half-day invitational roundtable was part of the IHE's ongoing Methodology Forum series supported by the Institute of Health Economics, the Alberta government, and industry partners, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Eli Lilly. The event brought together academic experts, industry leaders and senior decision…
| Thanh Nguyen, Egon Jonsson, Jessica Moffatt, Liz Dennett
From the Introduction: In this paper, we report a discussion of available evidence regarding the association between poverty and FASD, and regarding the economic consequences of FASD on individuals and families which may materialize an FASD - poverty trap.
The Institute of Health Economics, in partnership with Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, Alberta Health, and Eli Lilly Canada, conducted a roundtable to examine the concept of Alberta Health as a Living Laboratory. The ‘Living Laboratory’ concept builds off the recognition of the unique assets and opportunity we have in Alberta, including a single health authority…
| Ian Colman, Yasmin Garad, Yiye Zeng, Kiyuri Naicker, Murray Weeks, Scott Patten, Peter Jones, Angus Thompson, T. Cameron Wild
Purpose: Studies suggest that childhood trauma is linked to both depression and heavy drinking in adulthood, and may create a lifelong vulnerability to stress. Few studies have explored the effects of stress sensitization on the development of depression or heavy drinking among those who have experienced traumatic childhood events. This study aimed to determine the effect…
Rationale, aims and objectives: The Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument is a generic tool for assessing guideline quality. This feasibility study aimed to reduce the ambiguity and subjectivity associated with AGREE item scoring, and to augment the tool's capacity to differentiate between good- and poor-quality guidelines. Note: This is an Alberta…
Les estimations indiquent que un canadien sur trois aura un problème de santé mentale durant sa vie. Peu de canadiens réalisent l’impact que la mauvaise santé mentale a sur les familles, les communautés, les systèmes de santé et l’économie. La santé mentale est aussi importante que la santé physique…
Background: Although many programs targeting fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are implemented, the province of Alberta is still lacking information on costs of FASD.
Objectives: To estimate the costs of FASD in Alberta based on available US and Canadian research on costs of FASD, and Alberta data.