The goal of managed care is to deliver medical and pharmaceutical care cost-efficiently. The consequence of healthcare’s spiraling costs is that a greater premium has been placed on employing available resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. With this in mind, pharmacoeconomics may serve to identify the most cost-effective treatment alternatives in managed care.
Pharmacoeconomics is the description and analysis of the costs of drug therapy to healthcare systems and society. The importance of pharmacoeconomic information to healthcare decision makers will depend upon the viewpoint from which the analysis is conducted (i.e., including only costs that are relevant to managed care).
Pharmacoeconomic research in the managed care setting is growing. It is currently being used to make formulary decisions (complementing clinical data), design disease management programs and measuring the cost-effectiveness of interventions and programs in managed care.
A challenge in utilizing pharmacoeconomic data is in the interpretation
of study results. Professional organizations (such as ISPOR) are promoting
the education of the healthcare community. There are multiple sites in
the internet providing information about the topic as well as training
opportunities and examples of research conducted to date.
The International
Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research is an international
non-profit organization formed in 1995 to promote the practice and science
of pharmacoeconomics and health outcomes assessments. Its mission is to
translate pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research into practice to ensure
that society allocates scarce health care resources wisely, fairly and
efficiently. This site provides relevant information about regulatory issues
on the use of pharmacoeconomic data for promotional purposes. It also provides
links to numerous websites with information about current issues in the
conduct and interpretation of results from pharmacoeconomic trials. Rating:
H
HH H½
This
site provides links to multiple sites containing information on pharmacoepidemiology.
Many of the sites provide information about pharmacoeconomic methods and
their uses in the evaluation of new health care technologies (e.g., formulary
decision-making). The sites are arranged by category: Societies (e.g.,
the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research);
Organizations (e.g., FDA); Academic Departments (e.g., the Division of
Pharmaceutical Policy and Evaluation Sciences at UNC); Journals (e.g.,
the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA); On-line Courses (e.g., Health
Care Technology Assessment); Tools (e.g., ICD-9 CM); and, Services (e.g.,
FDA document service). Rating: HH
HH ½
The address for the College
of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University has a page titled "Drug Information
Resources: A Guide for Pharmacists." The section on Pharmacoeconomics includes
links to the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research,
ISPOR lexicon and Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Training modules 1 through
3. Other sections relevant to managed care are Disease Management, Evidence-based
Practice and Pharmacoepidemiology. Rating: HH
H½
This site
sponsored by Ovation offers a wide range of seemingly interesting links
categorized as Associations, Consulting/Service, Databases, Education/University,
Employment, Government, Journals and Publications, Libraries, Miscellaneous
Sites, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies, Pharmacy Resources and
Questionnaires/Performance Assessment. Sites providing information on pharmacoeconomics
and its use in managed care include academic centers (e.g., CePOR at UNC,
HIRU at McMaster University), consulting companies conducing pharmacoeconomic
research in managed care settings and databases available (e.g., AHCPR,
ACSUS, State of Idaho DUR). Other sites concentrate on managed care (e.g.,
Managed Care Facts and Figures Information Center). Rating: HH
HH
The
School of Pharmacy at the University of California-San Francisco offers
a Summer Research Program in various areas of Pharmacy (e.g., Pharmacoeconomics
and Patient Care Health Care Policy). Students interested in pursuing graduate
training leading to a PhD in pharmacy or a PharmD are encouraged to apply.
Applications for the 1999 program were due on February 2. Rating: HH
H
The
Drug Information Association publishes a list of companies offering
training programs ranging in length from 8-12 weeks to 2 years in areas
ranging from information technology and data management, drug information
to outcomes research. The site provides contact information for each of
the programs. Some of the programs are based in managed care organizations.
Rating: HH
HH
The University of Michigan in collaboration with
Parke-Davis of Warner Lambert offer a post-residency
program in Pharmacoeconomics for physicians. Contact information is
provided. Rating: HH
H
"Introduction
to Outcomes Research" taught by Dona Schneider at the UMDNJ-School
of Public Health. Course outline and recommended readings are included.
Rating: HH
HH
Principles
of Pharmacoeconomics taught by Kim P Krueger at Auburn University.
Course outline and recommended readings are included. Rating: HH
The University of Arizona’s web page offers information
about their Center for Health Outcomes
and PharmacoEconomics Research. Additionally, information about their
graduate academic and residency programs is provided as well as a calendar
of events. Rating: HH
HH
The
Center for Pharmacoeconomic at the College of Pharmacy of the University
of Texas-Austin was formed in response to the growing concern about
the costs of pharmaceutical products and services. This site provides an
overview of the Center’s objectives, faculty and brief description of their
projects. Rating: HH
HH
The
Department of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy at the University of
Southern California advertises their Department and Programs. The Department
focuses on economics to investigate the value of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy
services and the impact of financing policies for pharmaceuticals and pharmacy
services. Rating: HH
HH
The Department
of Outcomes Research under the leadership of Scott Weingarten, MD,
MPH conduct outcomes research into the effectiveness of clinical practice
guidelines, both in the hospital and outpatient arenas. This team also
develops and implements clinical pathways and disease management programs
for managed care organizations. Lists of projects, publications and seminars
are provided. Rating: HH
HH
The
Office of Health Policy and Clinical Outcomes at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, founded in 1990 under the leadership of David Nash, MD, MBA,
has as a mission to provide quality, cost-effective care across the healthcare
delivery continuum through education and research. Current and past projects
as well as publications including the Health Policy Newsletter are available
at the above address. Rating: HH
HH ½
The
Division of Pharmacy of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
has a Pharmacoeconomics Program. This Program focuses on drug use policies,
outcomes management, outcomes research, support for fiscally responsible
clinical research, reimbursement assistance and drug replacement programs,
and education and training in pharmacoeconomics. Unfortunately, the site
does not provide details about any of their projects. Rating: HH
½
The
Health Outcomes and Pharmacoeconomics (HOPE) Research Centre at the University
of Toronto and Sunnybrook & Women College Health Sciences Centre
advertises on the web. This Centre is composed of a multidisciplinary group
consisting of physicians, scientists, economists and graduate students
conducting high quality economic and health outcomes research relevant
to both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Rating: HH
½
Pharmaceutical
Outcomes Research, Inc. advertises its services extending beyond traditional
frameworks of care to encompass innovative changes in health care paradigms
that take full advantage of the pharmacologic properties of medicines to
optimize both the quality of patient care and health care efficiency. The
group advertises expertise in cost-effectiveness analysis. Rating: HH
½
Founded in 1980, Policy Analysis Inc. (PAI) is a contract-research and consulting firm concentrating in the fields of outcomes research, pharmacoeconomics, quality of life assessment and pharmacoepidemiology. The site provides very limited information about PAI’s projects. The list of publications may turn useful. Rating: H HH ½
| Note: The information below may contain additional relevant materials and documents. Some of the information may be duplicate. The evaluations depend on both the student doing the review and the information contained at the time of the review. Sites are subject to change! |