ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to cost-utility analysis (CUA). We will do this by providing a brief background on CUA and reviewing a case study using it.
CUA is a special case of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), where the numerator of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is a measure of cost (similar
9.1 Background and Introduction ....................................................................... 119 9.2 Case-Study: A Cost-Utility Analysis of a Quadrivalent Human
Papillomavirus Vaccination Program ........................................................... 121 9.2.1 Background ....................................................................................... 121 9.2.2 Research Questions ........................................................................... 122 9.2.3 Disease Model .................................................................................. 122 9.2.4 Screening and Vaccination Strategies and Parameters ..................... 123 9.2.5 Economic Parameters ....................................................................... 123 9.2.6 QoL Weight Parameters....................................................................124 9.2.7 Model Output: Epidemiologic ..........................................................124 9.2.8 Model Output: Quality-Adjusted Life Years .................................... 125 9.2.9 Model Output: Economic ................................................................. 126 9.2.10 Sensitivity Analyses .......................................................................... 126 9.2.11 Epidemiologic Results ...................................................................... 126 9.2.12 QALY Results ................................................................................... 126 9.2.13 Cost-Effectiveness Results ................................................................ 127
9.3 Commentary ................................................................................................. 129 References .............................................................................................................. 131
to other forms of CEA) and the denominator is measured typically using a metric called the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). A QALY accounts for both survival and quality of life (QoL) benefits associated with the use of a healthcare technology. The QoL component of the QALY is measured using a metric known as a health utility; hence, the term cost-utility analysis is used to describe this form of CEA. Background on the measurement of health utilities is discussed in Chapter 11.
