Course Descriptions

HPA 479 - EVALUATING CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS

This course introduces the major approaches used to evaluate clinical interventions. This course will provide an overview of randomized control trials, and of the economic evaluation of clinical interventions. Cost effectiveness and cost benefit analysis will be discussed along with other economic evaluation tools.

 Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate an ability to cost clinical interactions
• Identify and describe economic evaluations for clinical interventions
• Demonstrate knowledge of risk adjustment approaches
• Describe the various elements of a clinical trial, including statistical and FDA regulatory issues
• Critically evaluate a meta-analysis
• Describe basic economic models of health production
• Explain the economic concepts of costs and efficiency
• Describe and be able to evaluate current economic evaluation techniques: CMA, CBA, CEA
• Describe the issues to be addressed in performing a non-randomized outcomes analysis

Topics Covered:

1. Randomized control trials

• Inclusion/exclusion criteria
• Site/provider selection
• Randomization strategies
• Generalizability
• Endpoints
• Statistical stopping rules
• Regulatory requirements
• Data keeping
• Ethical conduct and conflict of interest
• Literature reviews and meta analysis
• Intent to treat

2. Outcome analysis

• Non-randomized evaluations
• Choice of outcomes
• Risk adjustment
• Short-term risk adjustment approaches
• Adjusting for health status differences

3. Costing clinical interactions

• Costs as resource use
• Costs from supply curve (average, marginal/ incremental, fixed and total costs)
• Cost vs. price
• Social vs. private party costs
• Paying for healthcare services
• Costing inpatient services
• Costing physician outpatient services
• Cost of pharmaceuticals
• Costing other services (lab, radiology, inpatient physician, nursing home, home health)

4. Economic evaluation of clinical interactions

• Effects
• Years of life saved
• Discounting
• Quality of life (QALY)
• Patient preferences
• Cost minimization
• Cost benefit
• Cost effectiveness

Prerequisites:
HPA 472 Clinical Research Methods I, graduate or professional standing, and approval of the department