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Estimating 'costs' for cost-effectiveness analysis.
1Health Services Research Unit and NICE Decision Support Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. alec.miners@lshtm.ac.uk
Pharmacoeconomics
|September 5, 2008
Summary
This paper discusses methodological challenges in cost-effectiveness analysis for healthcare, focusing on estimating future costs and valuing resources for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Health Technology Assessment
Background:
- The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Programme provides guidance on healthcare interventions.
- Cost-effectiveness analysis is a key component of NICE guidance, requiring careful consideration of costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline methodological questions regarding the identification, measurement, and valuation of costs in health technology assessment.
- To discuss issues related to estimating future resource use and valuing future costs.
Main Methods:
- The paper reviews methodological challenges in cost-effectiveness analysis.
- It discusses the use of national unit cost data versus local negotiated prices for resource valuation.
- It draws from a briefing paper and workshop discussions for updating NICE's methods guide.
Main Results:
- Identifies key methodological questions in cost-effectiveness analysis, particularly concerning future costs and resource valuation.
- Highlights the debate between using national unit costs versus local prices in NICE appraisals.
Conclusions:
- Accurate identification, measurement, and valuation of costs are critical for robust cost-effectiveness analyses in healthcare.
- Further methodological refinement is needed to address challenges in estimating and valuing future costs and resources within national health technology appraisal programmes.
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