THETA is recognized as a leading academic institution in Canada and internationally in the area of decision and economic modeling. The Health Modeling and Health Economics division produces high quality economic evidence to advise health policy decision makers in Ontario, and contributes to the development of health modeling and economics methodologies used throughout the world.
THETA members have expertise in designing and building decision trees, Markov models, micro-simulation, discrete event simulation, dynamic infectious disease models, as well as calibration and validation methods, and economic evaluations using person-level data. We also have methodological expertise in health preference measurement, costing using administrative data, and Bayesian methods. The division specializes in and has published on, economic evaluations, including cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA) and cost-minimization analysis (CMA), as well as systematic reviews of economic evaluations, and methodological issues in economic evaluation. We have also conducted model calibration and validation, and budget impact analyses.
THETA investigators are pursuing research on the development and novel application of statistical methods for economic evaluation. These methods include, but are not limited to, regression based methods for mapping descriptive to utility instruments of Health Related Quality of Life, Bayesian methods for estimation of the net cost of the disease using aggregate data, analysis of censored cost data and others.
Primary studies of costs of health technology in the Ontario setting are increasingly important in decision-making. Cost effectiveness analysis estimates the incremental health gain for an incremental use of resources.
THETA investigators have published a variety of descriptive and evaluative costing and cost-effectiveness studies. They have particular interest in the use of administrative data (e.g., Ontario Drug Benefit Plan drug utilization data, CIHI hospitalization data, OHIP billing data) to estimate longitudinal and lifetime costs for health care in the Ontario setting.
Team
Shabbir Alibhai, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Ahmed M. Bayoumi, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Chaim Bell, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Thomas R Einarson, BScPharm, MS (Pharmacy Management), MEd, PhD, FISPE
Robert Fowler, MD, MS, FRCPC
Paul Grootendorst, PhD
Jeffrey S Hoch, MA, PhD
Murray Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Nicole Mittmann, MSc, PhD
Linda D MacKeigan, BSc, Phm, PhD
David M.J. Naimark, MD, MSc, FRCPC
George Tomlinson, MSc, PhD
Wendy Ungar, MSc, PhD
Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD
Evidence synthesis is a key building block for health technology assessment. It involves systematically searching for high-quality, scientific evidence on efficacy, effectiveness, costs, and utilities, followed by quantitative synthesis (i.e., meta-analysis, meta-regression) of this evidence.
THETA investigators have particular interest in:
- use of Bayesian methods to conduct evidence synthesis;
- systematic search and review of scientific evidence;
- data abstraction;
- critical appraisal of evidence;
- graphical representation of individual studies for data synthesis, and;
- quantitative methods for combining evidence, including meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Team
Shabbir Alibhai, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Chaim Bell, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Thomas R Einarson, BScPharm, MS (Pharmacy Management), MEd, PhD, FISPE
Ba' Pham, MSc, PhD
George Tomlinson, MSc, PhD
Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD
Health economics research focuses on issues related to the allocation of health care resources, including what influences health, the supply and demand of healthcare, evaluation at the treatment and system level, and mechanisms for planning, budgeting and monitoring health care.
THETA investigators have a particular interest in:
- economic evaluation (cost effectiveness evaluation); and
- broader questions of health economics.
Team
Peter Coyte, PhD
Tony Culyer, CBE, BA, Hon DEcon, Hon FRCP, FRSA, FMedSci
Allan Detsky, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Paul Grootendorst, PhD
Jeffrey S Hoch, MA, PhD
Audrey Laporte, MA, PhD
Nicole Mittmann, MSc, PhD
Mike Paulden, MSc, MA (Cantab.), Health Economist
Wendy Ungar, MSc, PhD
Health care providers and government are increasingly turning to modelling studies to inform their decisions to adopt or reimburse new drugs, procedures or programs of care. Modelling allows useful comparisons across conditions, technologies and drug therapies.
Models may be linked to primary research studies or use existing trial data. They may focus on one specific research question or be designed to answer a set of policy questions. THETA investigators use a variety of decision models including: simple decision trees, Markov models, simulation models and dynamic infectious disease models.
THETA investigators have particular interest in:
- refining Markov modelling methods;
- developing comprehensive health policy models; and
- using dynamic models for infectious disease modelling.
Team
Shabbir Alibhai, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Ahmed M. Bayoumi, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Chaim Bell, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Thomas R Einarson, BScPharm, MS (Pharmacy Management), MEd, PhD, FISPE
Murray Krahn, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Nicole Mittmann, MSc, PhD
David M.J. Naimark, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Wendy Ungar, MSc, PhD
Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD