The Value Of Providing Health Interventions For Heroin Use: A Cost Benefit Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$599,585.00
Summary
Heroin use and associated harms can be reduced through effective treatment. Past research has shown that treatment for heroin dependence can be relatively cost-effective, but not whether heroin treatment overall is a good investment. This unique study will estimate the net social benefit of heroin treatment, taking into account health, crime and family consequences. The results will help Australia respond better to this devastating health problem.
Nanny state or good public policy: Do the benefits of mandatory health programs justify the loss of consumer choice? Governments are increasingly turning to mandatory programs to improve health. Such programs are appealing because there are high health benefits from universal participation and low costs for promotion and monitoring the program. However, this apparent benefit relies on restriction of personal choice, which may impose welfare losses on consumers. Evaluations generally ignore loss ....Nanny state or good public policy: Do the benefits of mandatory health programs justify the loss of consumer choice? Governments are increasingly turning to mandatory programs to improve health. Such programs are appealing because there are high health benefits from universal participation and low costs for promotion and monitoring the program. However, this apparent benefit relies on restriction of personal choice, which may impose welfare losses on consumers. Evaluations generally ignore loss of choice, despite evidence suggesting consumers value the ability to choose. This study will estimate the impact and value this loss of consumer choice, explore program specific factors and consumer characteristics influencing the valuation, and determine whether and how restricted choice should be explicitly considered when evaluating public health programs.Read moreRead less
Explaining Social Preferences For Priority Setting In The Health Sector
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,218.00
Summary
This project looks at whether the views of the public regarding the allocation of society's limited health care resources are well-informed and carefully considered. A series of focus groups will be conducted where members of the public can think about the ethical issues involved, discuss them with others, and ask questions. This approach has the potential to improve the legitimacy of health policy decisions by contributing to a better understanding of the values of the public.
Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s c ....Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s consumption of dental services, indicators of oral health and general health, and other indicators of cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using advanced econometric techniques and panel datasets, this project is expected to contribute to the development of effective policies for promoting health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Improving Patient Access To Novel Cancer Drugs In Australia: Striking The Balance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Cancer patients in Australia may experience delays before they can benefit from new expensive drugs because of the lengthy existing processes to evaluate new medicines by the Department of Health. I will study how to improve the existing drug evaluation processes to make timely but informed funding decisions. This work will improve patient outcomes from early access to effective new cancer drugs and help the government make a wiser spending of public funds.
Equitable funding for health care: integrating social outcomes. This project will develop an innovative method for decision makers to achieve more equitable allocation of scarce health care resources. Health programs and treatments affect not just health (survival & health related quality of life) but also broader aspects of well-being (e.g. dignity, autonomy, safety). Our current methods for evaluating value for money in health do not capture these aspects. The project will provide benefit by a ....Equitable funding for health care: integrating social outcomes. This project will develop an innovative method for decision makers to achieve more equitable allocation of scarce health care resources. Health programs and treatments affect not just health (survival & health related quality of life) but also broader aspects of well-being (e.g. dignity, autonomy, safety). Our current methods for evaluating value for money in health do not capture these aspects. The project will provide benefit by allowing health system decision makers to achieve fairer allocation of resources across diverse health conditions, interventions and patient populations. Expected outcomes include a new tool for assessing interventions and measuring population health incorporating both health and social outcomes. Read moreRead less
Development And Validation Of A Health Policy Simulation Model For Cardiovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,910.00
Summary
The research is focused on evaluating policies associated with treating cardiovascular disease in Australia (CVD). It will involve the development of a computer simulation model for CVD which can be used to assess the cost-effectiveness of wide range of health care treatments. As prices of cardiovascular therapies after the expiry of patents, how much more widely should cardiovascular medication be prescribed? This is the type of question that can be answered through a CVD simulation model.
Blended payment systems for doctors: evaluation of an experiment. The results of the study will provide new evidence for health care policy makers in Australia (and internationally) on the effects of changing the remuneration system for GPs on the costs and quality of health care provided. The study will examine effects in the national priority and national health priority areas of preventive health care and chronic disease. The results will be relevant to other countries, such as the US and U ....Blended payment systems for doctors: evaluation of an experiment. The results of the study will provide new evidence for health care policy makers in Australia (and internationally) on the effects of changing the remuneration system for GPs on the costs and quality of health care provided. The study will examine effects in the national priority and national health priority areas of preventive health care and chronic disease. The results will be relevant to other countries, such as the US and UK, where blended payments schemes exist for GPs but have not been evaluated. Read moreRead less