Objective Perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the treatment of Diabetic macular edema (DME) with ranibizumab plus prompt or deferred laser versus triamcinolone plus prompt laser. Data for the analysis was drawn from reports of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCRnet) Protocol I. Design Computer simulation based on Protocol I data. Analyses were conducted from the payor perspective. Participants Simulated participants assigned characteristics reflecting those seen in Protocol I. Methods Markov models were constructed to replicate Protocol I’s 104 week outcomes using a microsimulation approach to estimation. Baseline characteristics, visual acuity (VA), treatments, and complications were based on Protocol I data. Costs were identified by literature search. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed and the results were validated against Protocol I data. Main Outcome Measures Direct cost of care for two years, change in VA from baseline, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) measured as cost per additional letter gained from baseline (ETDRS). Results For sham plus laser (S+L), ranibizumab plus prompt laser (R+pL), ranibizumab plus deferred laser (R+dL), and triamcinolone plus laser (T+L), effectiveness through 104 weeks was predicted to be 3.46, 7.07, 8.63, and 2.40 letters correct, respectively. ICER values in terms of dollars per VA letter were $393 (S+L vs. T+L), $5,943 (R+pL vs. S+L), and $20 (R+dL vs. R+pL). For pseudophakics, the ICER value for comparison triamcinolone with laser versus ranibizumab with deferred laser was $14,690 per letter gained. No clinically relevant changes in model variables altered outcomes. Internal validation demonstrated good similarity to Protocol I treatment patterns. Conclusions In treatment of phakic patients with DME, ranibizumab with deferred laser provided an additional 6 letters correct compared to triamcinolone with laser at an additional cost of $19,216 over two years. That would indicate that if the gain in visual acuity seen at two years is maintained in subsequent years, then the treatment of phakic patients with DME using ranibizumab may meet accepted standards of cost-effectiveness. For pseudophakic patients, first line treatment with triamcinolone appears to be the most cost-effective option.

BACKGROUND Tracheostomy practice in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) varies greatly among institutions. This variability has the potential to be reflected in the resources expended providing care. In various healthcare environments, increased resource expenditure has been associated with a favorable effect on outcome. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between institutional resource expenditure and mortality in ARF patients managed with tracheostomy. METHODS We developed analytic models employing the University Health Systems Consortium (Oakbrook, Illinois) database. Administrative coding data were used to identify patients with the principal diagnosis of ARF, procedures, complications, post-discharge destination, and survival. Mean resource intensity of participating academic medical centers was determined using risk-adjusted estimates of costs. Mortality risk was determined using a multivariable approach that incorporated patient-level demographic and clinical variables and institution-level resource intensity. RESULTS We analyzed data from 44,124 ARF subjects, 4,776 (10.8%) of whom underwent tracheostomy. Compared to low-resource-intensity settings, treatment in high-resource-intensity academic medical centers was associated with increased risk of mortality (odds ratio 1.11, 95% CI 1.05–1.76), including those managed with tracheostomy (odds ratio high-resource-intensity academic medical center with tracheostomy 1.10, 95% CI 1.04 –1.17). We examined the relationship between complication development and outcome. While neither the profile nor number of complications accumulated differed comparing treatment environments (P > .05 for both), mortality for tracheostomy patients experiencing complications was greater in high-resource-intensity (95/313, 30.3%) versus low-resource-intensity (552/2,587, 21.3%) academic medical centers (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS We were unable to demonstrate a positive relationship between resource expenditure and outcome in ARF patients managed with tracheostomy.

Background Formal economic evaluation using a model-based approach is playing an increasingly important role in healthcare decision making. Objective To develop a model using an objective measure of lung function, prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second as a percent of predicted (FEV1% predicted), as the primary independent factor to predict the frequency of adverse events related to exacerbation of asthma on a population level. Methods We developed a Markov simulation model of childhood asthma using data from the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). The primary outcomes were the result of asthma exacerbations defined as: hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, and the need for oral corticosteroid therapy. Predicted monthly frequencies for each acute event were based on negative binomial regression equations estimated from the placebo arm of CAMP with covariates of age, prebronchodilator FEV1% predicted, time in study, prior hospitalizations, and prior nocturnal awakenings. Results Simulated versus observed mean number of acute events were similar within the placebo and treatment groups. While the trial demonstrated treatment effects of 48% reduction in hospitalizations, 46% reduction in ED visits, and 44% reduction in the need for oral corticosteroid therapy at 48 months; the model simulated similar reductions of 49% in hospitalizations, 41% in ED visits, and 46% in the need for oral corticosteroid therapy. Conclusion Our findings suggest that longitudinal intervention effects may be modeled through FEV1% predicted to estimate hospitalizations, ED visits, and need for oral corticosteroid therapy in childhood asthma for planning and evaluation purposes.

Mesh reinforcement decreases clinically significant pancreatic leaks. Despite the additional cost of mesh reinforcement, the use of mesh reinforcement results in overall cost savings for the health care system because of the resultant decrease in the occurrence of clinically significant leaks.

Purpose To create and validate a statistical model predicting progression of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) assessed by loss of visual field as measured in mean deviation (MD) using three landmark studies of glaucoma progression and treatment. Design A Markov decision analytic model using patient level data described longitudinal MD changes over seven years. Participants Patient level data from the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS, n=607), the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS, n=148, only those who developed POAG in the first five years of OHTS) and Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS, n=591), the COA model. Methods We developed a Markov model with transition matrices stratified by current MD, age, race and intraocular pressure categories and used a microsimulation approach to estimate change in MD over seven years. Internal validation compared model prediction for seven years to actual MD for COA participants. External validation used a cohort of glaucoma patients drawn from university clinical practices. Main Outcome Measures Change in visual field as measured in MD in decibels (dB). Results Regressing the actual MD against the predicted produced an R2 of 0.68 for the right eye and 0.63 for the left. The model predicted ending MD for right eyes of 65% of participants and for 63% of left eyes within 3 dB of actual results at seven years. In external validation the model had an R2 of 0.79 in the right eye and 0.77 in the left at five years. Conclusion The COA model is a validated tool for clinicians, patients and health policy makers seeking to understand longitudinal changes in mean deviation in people with glaucoma..