A Bayesian Approach to Aid in Formulary Decision Making: Incorporating Institution-Specific Cost-Effectiveness Data with Clinical Trial Results

Pharmacy and therapeutics committees commonly cite a lack of generalizability as a reason for not incorporating cost-effectiveness information into decision making. To address this concern, many committees undertake site-specific economic evaluations, which are often limited by small sample sizes an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical decision making 2003-05, Vol.23 (3), p.252-264
Main Authors: Reed, Shelby D., Dillingham, Peter W., Briggs, Andrew H., Veenstra, David L., Sullivan, Sean D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary
Antibodies, Monoclonal - economics
Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use
Anticoagulants - economics
Anticoagulants - therapeutic use
Bayes Theorem
Coronary Artery Bypass
Coronary Disease - drug therapy
Coronary Disease - economics
Coronary Disease - therapy
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Decision Making
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments - economics
Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments - therapeutic use
Male
Middle Aged
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic - economics
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic - methods
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Summary:Pharmacy and therapeutics committees commonly cite a lack of generalizability as a reason for not incorporating cost-effectiveness information into decision making. To address this concern, many committees undertake site-specific economic evaluations, which are often limited by small sample sizes and nonrandomized designs. We show how 2 complementary approaches were used to minimize these limitations in an economic evaluation of abciximab at 1 institution. Using a propensity score methodology, we selected patients who did not receive abciximab for the comparison cohort. Then, we adopted a Bayesian, hierarchical, random-effects model to integrate site-specific and clinical trial data. We applied the posterior distributions of effectiveness with local cost data in a traditional decision-analytic model. In 74% of the simulations, abciximab was cost-effective at 1 institution at the $50,000 per life year saved threshold, assuming a 50:50 split of patients undergoing coronary stenting and angioplasty. Among patients undergoing coronary stenting, the cost-effectiveness ratio of the addition of abciximab was at or below the $50,000 per life year saved threshold in 66.0% of the simulations.
ISSN:0272-989X
1552-681X
DOI:10.1177/0272989X03023003007