Cost containment comparator assessment

Some of the more common performance measurement systems used to assess pharmaceutical outcomes include report cards, balanced scorecards, clinical value compasses, profiling, performance-based evaluation systems, and others. The goals of pharmaceutical performance measurement systems are to 1) compare treatment modalities fairly 2) recognize and promote good care 3) identify and eliminate substandard care and 4) improve the level of care overall.Because performance measures can include data over the course of treatment, the outcomes of alternative therapies and practices may be detected. The end goal of any performance measurement system should not be cost containment only improving patient outcomes must be a primary concern, keeping in mind the cost effectiveness of the therapy and sustainability of the system. 

Cost Containment Strategies - Pharmacoeconomics and Comparator Assessment... 

Alcohol Production. Studies to assess the costs of alcohol fuels and to compare the costs to those of conventional fuels contain significant uncertainties. In general, the low cost estimates iadicate that methanol produced on a large scale from low cost natural gas could compete with gasoline when oil prices are around 140/L ( 27/bbl). This comparison does not give methanol any credits for environmental or energy diversification benefits. Ethanol does not become competitive until petroleum prices are much higher. 

Sulfur Emissicms Sulfur present in a fuel is released as SO2, a known contributor to acid rain deposition. By adding limestone or dolomite to a fluidized bed, much of this can be captured as calcium sulfate, a dry nonhazardous solid. As limestone usually contains over 40 percent calcium, compared to only 20 percent in dolomite, it is the preferred sorbent, resulting in lower transportation costs for the raw mineral and the resulting ash product. Moreover, the high magnesium content of the dolomite makes the ash unsuitable for some building applications and so reduces its potential for utilization. Whatever sorbent is selected, for economic reasons it is usually from a source local to the FBC plant. If more than one sorbent is available, plant trials are needed to determine the one most suitable, as results from laboratory-scale reactivity assessments are unreliable. 

If RACs are, in fact, going to serve as the drivers in the system and the basis for risk acceptance and resource allocation decisions, the numbers generated must have a positive correlation to the risk involved and to the resources required to control the hazard. A universal RAC matrix would provide a means of comparing relative risks associated with multiple projects, evaluating the allocation of funds, and determining the cost-effectiveness of various controls. Ideally, this universal risk assessment code matrix could provide an evaluation of risks in absolute as well as relative terms. Chapter 12 contains a proposed universal RAC matrix (Total Risk Exposure Codes). The use of a meaningful, quantified, expanded universal RAC matrix may represent a practical approach to probabilistic risk assessment. 

---