Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment by Pharmacists in Black Barbershops
2021
The Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS) examined the effectiveness and cost of a one-year pharmacist-led hypertension care intervention in Black-owned barbershops in Los Angeles County, focused on non-Hispanic Black men with uncontrolled hypertension. Using a discrete event simulation, the researchers projected the 10-year health outcomes and health care costs associated with the intervention compared to a control group. The costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were calculated from a health care sector perspective, with future costs and QALYs discounted at 3% annually.
The results showed that over 10 years, the intervention had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $42,700 per QALY gained. Further, there was a high probability (58%) of it being highly cost-effective (<$50,000 per QALY) and an even higher probability (96%) of being at least intermediately cost-effective (less than $150,000 per QALY). The cost-effectiveness improved significantly when only generic drugs were used, and was reduced if pharmacists spent more time traveling to barbershops.
Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment by Pharmacists in Black Barbershops
Source:
Bryant KB, Moran AE, Kazi DS et al. Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment by Pharmacists in Black Barbershops. Circulation 2021; 143: 2384-2394. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.051683