Given the skyrocketing costs in today’s healthcare system, it is more important than ever to determine the most cost-effective treatments. Several CRHC faculty have expertise in conducting cost-effectiveness analysis across a variety of areas, including alcohol abuse, vaccination strategies, and costs of specific diseases and their complications. Faculty employ methods such as Markov simulation modeling, probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and value of information analysis in order to compare the cost-effectiveness of different interventions and strategies and the impact of different screening methods on clinical outcomes and costs. Such analyses, which enable estimations of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained for the comparative interventions, ultimately allow clinicians to determine the optimal strategies to be incorporated into clinical practice and enable researchers to identify the most valuable areas for future research.

Faculty

Kenneth J. Smith, MD, MS

Dr. Smith’s research centers on the cost-effectiveness of common medical interventions, most notably on pneumococcal, influenza, and varicella vaccination, and on the impact of racial disparities in vaccination rates. He has published in many other areas, including pelvic inflammatory disease, influenza management strategies, diabetes prevention and treatment, VA formulary decisions, anticoagulation and thrombotic disorder management, and hospital-physician communication.