Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2024Adopting Electric School Buses in the U.S.: Health & Climate Benefits
This article evaluates the health and climate benefits of replacing diesel school buses with electric …
This article evaluates the health and climate benefits of replacing diesel school buses with electric models in the U.S. Despite the high cost of electric buses, their benefits in reducing mortality and childhood asthma, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, could justify the investment. The study quantifies the benefits of replacing an average diesel bus with an electric bus, estimating $84,200 in total benefits per bus, with $40,400 from climate benefits and $43,800 from health…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | North America | Environmental Health | Government/Law | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2023Evaluation of Diversity of Clinical Trials Informing Health Technology Assessments in the United States: A 5-Year Analysis of Institute for Clinical and Economic Review Assessments
The study assessed the diversity of clinical trials informing assessments by the Institute for Clinical …
The study assessed the diversity of clinical trials informing assessments by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) over five years (2017-2021). It conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 208 pivotal trials across 31 conditions. Findings revealed inadequate representation of racial/ethnic minorities and older adults, with Blacks/African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Hispanics/Latinos being notably underrepresented. Whites, Asians, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders were adequately represented. US-based trials better represented Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos but…
Technology Assessment | North America | Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2023Estimating the US Baseline Distribution of Health Inequalities Across Race, Ethnicity, Geography for Equity-Informative CEA
This study addresses disparities in health outcomes among racial and ethnic groups in the United …
This study addresses disparities in health outcomes among racial and ethnic groups in the United States using Bayesian models to handle suppressed mortality data. By linking multiple US data sets, it demonstrates significant variations in life expectancy, disability-free life expectancy, and quality-adjusted life expectancy based on race, ethnicity, and geographic location. Results show that disparities persist and widen with age, especially between the best-off and worst-off subgroups in socially vulnerable counties. Life expectancy, disability-free life…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | North America | Health Outcomes | Social Determinants | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2022Modeling the Effectiveness of Healthcare Personnel Reactive Testing and Screening for the SARS-Cov-2 Omicron Variant within Nursing Homes
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been hypothesized to exhibit faster clearance (time from peak …
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been hypothesized to exhibit faster clearance (time from peak viral concentration to clearance of acute infection), may be less detectable by antigen tests (decreased sensitivity), and may be more likely to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination) compared to prior variants. This calls for a reassessment of strategies to prevent its spread, especially in vulnerable settings like nursing homes. Using a model that tracks viral shedding patterns,…
Mathematical Models | North America | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2023Achieving the Cancer Moonshot Goal
The Cancer Moonshot seeks to reduce age-standardized cancer mortality rates by at least 50% over …
The Cancer Moonshot seeks to reduce age-standardized cancer mortality rates by at least 50% over the next 25 years. This article estimates trends in U.S. cancer mortality for all cancers and the six leading types and reviews opportunities to prevent, detect, and treat these common cancers.
Mathematical Models | North America | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2022Hospital Closures amid COVID-19
The recent trend of hospital closures in the US has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, …
The recent trend of hospital closures in the US has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as hospitals have experienced financial hardship from reduced patient volume and elective surgery cases, as well as the thin financial margins for treating patients with COVID-19. This trend of hospital closures is concerning for patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. This current opinion piece describes the challenges caused by hospital closures and discusses what policymakers should know based on the existing…
Operations Research | North America | Health Systems | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2021Employee Health Plans Powered by Analytics
This article describes a business model for the employee health plans of large firms to …
This article describes a business model for the employee health plans of large firms to bypass insurers and instead use direct contracts with hospitals which have been designated as centers of excellence. The authors propose methods of machine learning and data analytics to identify efficient and effective delivery systems, with the ultimate goal of improving health care quality.
Operations Research | North America | Health Systems -
ArticlePublication 2022Health Utility of Drinkers' Family Members
Problematic alcohol use is known to harm individuals surrounding the drinker. This study described the …
Problematic alcohol use is known to harm individuals surrounding the drinker. This study described the health utility of people who reported having a family member(s) whom they perceived as a “problem drinker.” Using a US population dataset, and adjusting for other drinking-related factors, perceiving a family member as a problem drinker was associated with lower health utility on the order of 0.033 (P < 0.001) for a spouse/partner to 0.023 (P < 0.001) for a…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | North America | Preferences/Values | Chronic Disease/Risk -
ArticlePublication 2021COVID and the Age–VSL Relationship
In this article, the researchers explore the approach used to value COVID-19 mortality risk reductions …
In this article, the researchers explore the approach used to value COVID-19 mortality risk reductions in analyses of lockdowns and other policies. Many rely on a population-average estimate of the value per statistical life (VSL); others adjust VSL for life expectancy at the age of death. The article explores the implications of theory and empirical studies, which suggest that the relationship between age and VSL is uncertain; these uncertainties in turn may affect whether the…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | North America | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Government/Law | Health/Medicine