August 25, 2009

Health Economics from Theory to Practice: Informing Related Decisions of Reimbursement, Research and Regulation

Location: Oxford, England
Dates: 25-27 August 2009
Venue: St Hilda’s College

Course organizers: Prof Andrew Willan and Prof Simon Eckermann

Intended Audience:

. Health economists, evaluators of health technology assessment, pharmaco-economists, applied micro-economists, clinical epidemiologists, biostatisticians.
. Clinicians and researchers undertaking economic studies in clinical trials.
. Health sector decision and policy makers.

Overview:

The course teaches from first principles hands-on application of methods to optimally inform decision making across related health economics decisions of reimbursement, research and regulation.

Using seminar and tutorial based learning, the course provides participants with knowledge and practical skills to:

• Undertake analysis of clinical trials to optimally inform evidence based decision making under uncertainty in processes of health technology assessment (HTA), such as that for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (UK), for direct and indirect comparisons.
• Design clinical trials to optimally inform decision making within and across jurisdictions using parametric value of information methods that allow for real world decision contexts, including time, opportunity costs and option value of delay and imperfect implementation.
• Compare multiple strategies, including construction and use of expected net loss curves and frontiers, to optimally inform risk-neutral and risk-averse decision making.
• Undertake efficiency measurement across health care providers, such as hospitals, consistent with the maximizing of net benefit underlying evidence based medicine.
• Inform risk sharing and economically meaningful threshold values for net benefit.

The course simplifies and extends methods for comparing multiple strategies (the Expected Net Loss frontier), applying VoI methods (optimal trial design with parametric estimation of expected value of information) and comparing and creating incentives for providers in practice (efficiency measurement and funding consistent with maximizing net benefit and health outcomes from a budget). Course material provided includes detailed spreadsheet templates and tutorials.

Further details and registration information can be downloaded at http://clinicalchange.flinders.edu.au/economics.html.

August 25, 2009: Short Course

September 1, 2009

MSc Health Economics and Decision Modelling (new for 2009): School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR)

Location: Sheffield, England, UK
Programme Start Date: September 2009

Prospective Students Career Prospects

Health economics and decision modelling is undergoing a massive expansion internationally as governments, insurers, healthcare organisations and the pharmaceutical industry meet the need to analyse the costs and benefits of health related strategies. There is an international shortage of qualified specialists at post graduate level.

This internationally focussed Masters course is intended to equip participants with the techniques and methods of health economics and modelling to meet these needs. It is ideal for students wishing to pursue a career as a professional health economist / modeller.

Opportunities exist around the world, including the USA, UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, in:

• the pharmaceutical industry
• government or other policy organisations
• healthcare purchase or provider organisations
• health related consultancy
• the medical research sector
• academia

Principal aims of the course

The role of mathematical modelling in informing healthcare resource allocation decisions has been increasing over the past two decades. The MSc in Health Economics and Decision Modelling is the only Masters programme in the UK with a specific focus on the practical application of mathematical modelling to inform healthcare decision problems. This is a truly bespoke course, bridging the gap between the underlying theory and application of mathematical modelling for decision making and more traditional health economics. The three principal aims of the course are as follows:

• Equip students with a professional level analytical skill-base required to evaluate and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare systems for which they have responsibility
• Provide an in-depth understanding of current state-of-the-art methods for mathematical modelling to support and inform evidence-based healthcare decision problems
• Provide a firm grounding for students wishing to pursue research degrees in health economics and mathematical modelling

This MSc is very focused on the techniques and methods of health economics and modelling, which are applicable to a vast range of settings.

Contact us

If you would like to be considered for enrolment or would like to ask any questions regarding this Masters programme, please send your e-mail to:

HEDM Course Administrator

Alternatively, write to:

Gary Toon - Course Administrator
MSc Health Economics and Decision Modelling
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR)
Regent Court
30 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 4DA
United Kingdom

PLEASE NOTE: This course has now completed the final stages of development, and subject to Faculty of Medicine approval in October ‘08, will become operational in September ‘09.

September 1, 2009: Masters

January 10, 2010

Global Health Leadership Forum: University of California, Berkeley

Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Dates: 10-16 January 2010

Venue: UC Berkeley School of Public Health

Website: http://ahlf.berkeley.edu/

An innovative program for senior health executives focusing on health policy and management issues of global importance. The program takes place in two intensive 1-week sessions in Berkeley and Barcelona. Participants will develop a project mentored by expert faculty advisors during the six month interim between projects.

The sixth edition of the Global Health Leadership Forum is a joint initiative of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics together with the UPF Center for Research in Health and Economics (CRES).

The Approach

The demands of day-to-day work don’t leave me– a senior health executive– time to deepen my understanding of the most salient issues affecting the future of the field.

I need to stay on top of the latest news and market trends and find out about the latest developments in Health Policy and Healthcare Systems. I need to get a clear idea of what the future holds for healthcare, both in my country and internationally.

During two intensive weeks spent surrounded by some of the world’s foremost healthcare experts, I will study the latest news and major advances in healthcare and gain the knowledge crucial to staying at the cutting edge of industry.

Immersed in a dynamic learning environment, I will share experiences, swap stories, and evaluate case studies with fellow healthcare executives in order to face the future in the best possible way. During the six-month interim between sessions, I will tackle a real issue affecting my company or profession under the guidance of an expert faculty member.

Core Benefits

• Fast track update of latest news; tips on identifying market risks and opportunities
• Insights on the present and future of healthcare in the current global environment
• Find practical solutions to Health Policy issues that have been converging internationally and evaluate their associated risks and opportunities
• Share experiences with other leaders in the health care sector around the world
• Enhance strategic leadership skills

Participant Profile

• Senior health executives, health ministers
• Senior policy leaders, legislators and regulators
• Senior executives of organizations (e.g. World Bank, OECD, PAHO)
• Senior executives of enterprises (e.g. insurance, pharmaceutical, health care delivery, care management)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

PRIMARY AREAS OF FOCUS:

• Public/private health insurance combinations
• Strategies for health systems change
• Innovations in payer and health delivery connections
• Governance
• Information therapy for consumers
• Pharmaceutical innovation, pricing, and regulation
• Managing insurance and delivery performance
• Implications of technology changes on health care
• Field trips to innovative hospital, primary care centers and Kaiser Permanente

REAL WORLD CASE

Participants will tackle a real issue affecting their company or profession over the six month interim between sessions. Advised by expert faculty, participants will find viable solutions to the issue addressed and steps to implement them.

SELECTED BERKELEY SPEAKERS:

Sir Richard Feachem, UCSF, 1st Dir. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Peter Berman, Harvard University and World Bank; Arnie Milstein, Mercer and Pacific Business Group on Health; high level officials from Kaiser Permanente; and expert faculty from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephen M. Shortell (UC Berkeley), Andreu Mas Colell (Barcelona GSE), Richard M. Scheffler (UC Berkeley), Guillem Lopez-Casasnovas (UPF).

Faculty advisors:

Ivan Planas (UPF), Jim Rice (Cambridge University and Integrated Health Strategies), and Alex Preker (World Bank)

CONTACT

UC Berkeley
Meg Kellogg, Program Director
UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Tel: +1 (510) 642 1631
http://ghlf.berkeley.edu/

Barcelona GSE
Carmen Estévez, Program Coordinator
Barcelona Graduate School of Economics
Email: carmen.estevez@barcelonagse.eu
Tel: +34 (93) 542 12 43
http://www.barcelonagse.eu/

January 10, 2010: Short Course