Xcelerate™ Health Outcomes for NHS Trusts
NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit: Caring for Patients; Caring for Costs
The NHS has always been budget constrained. Today more than ever, funding is under pressure from almost every angle. The aging and ailing population is growing and more new and expensive therapies and devices are being developed with research revealing novel ways of detecting and preventing illness and its spread.
As the demands on budgets continue to grow it is imperative to realise the maximum patient benefit from every NHS pound spent. As little as twenty years ago cost was not a primary consideration. But recently there has been an increased focus on cost-effectiveness evidence and a new science: Health Economics has emerged. By using a variety of analytical methods and comparative tools, Health Economists can help healthcare managers, budget holders and third party healthcare payers to make a rational, fact-based and accurate assessment of the relative costs and benefits of different healthcare approaches.
In recognition of the ever increasing pressure to provide more and better healthcare with the same or less money, NHS Innovations London Ltd (NHSIL) established a new Unit, NHSIL Health Outcomes, in February 2008.
The Unit’s aim is to leverage its extensive Health Economics expertise to help London NHS Trusts and PCTs allocate their budgets in the most effective way. It will achieve this by providing consultancy advice, research and training. In addition, it can support innovators within the NHS to evaluate and prove the market potential of their ideas.
Furthermore, by collaborating with the Unit, Trusts can make themselves more attractive partners to industry – for example, by being able to conduct economic evaluations alongside clinical trials, so-called Health Economic ‘piggyback’ evaluations.
'Health Economics is about improving the health of the population through the efficient use of resources'
NICE Technical Manual; 2007
Experience that Counts
Health Economics is a relatively new and highly specialised field. The right experience, tools and skill-set are fundamental to the provision of accurate, objective and meaningful conclusions and recommendations.
The NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit is headed up by Andy Ingram, Senior Health Outcomes Manager. Andy joined NHS innovations after working with CSD Medical Research developing their patient databases for health economics and epidemiology studies. Prior to this he held various roles within IMS Health working closely with pharmaceutical companies helping them with their business and market strategies through the use of patient, marketing and pricing data. He has also has worked within sales and marketing for GSK and holds an MBA from CASS business school.
The Xcelerate™ Health Economics Unit is dedicated to the London Trusts and has the ability to provide meaningful Health Economic support that can make a tangible difference. In the relatively short time it has been in operation, the Unit has received a very positive response. In the longer term it aims to provide a wider portfolio of services to Trusts, inventors and industry.
Making a Difference Today
The NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit aims to work in collaboration with London Trusts to provide research, training and consultancy which can help Trust Executives in their budgetary decision making processes. By employing a range of respected and established health outcomes techniques, the Unit can contribute hard facts, enabling Trusts to make informed decisions on healthcare practices.
The NHSIL team can support London Trusts in a variety of ways. For example, when considering the introduction of new products or treatment pathways, the Unit can undertake cost impact analysis to provide a clear comparison of the cost and healthcare benefits of existing practices compared with implementing new technologies and treatments.
It can also quantify the cost of established practices to ensure they represent the most cost-effective route. Furthermore, the team can apply its skills to assess entire and complex patient treatment pathways from an economic perspective to highlight how and where changes such as drug substitution could reduce costs without compromising patient outcomes.
Attracting Industry Partners
Today, the agencies that are in charge of approving the reimbursement of new healthcare products require industry to present a compelling economic case alongside clinical data. This so-called ‘Fourth Hurdle’ requires industry to show how new products represent good value for money as well as better patient outcomes.
NHS Trusts involved in clinical trials are ideally placed to evaluate the economic impact of new therapies or devices in tandem with their work to assess clinical performance. By offering to undertake so called ‘piggyback’ evaluations, whereby economic evaluations are performed alongside clinical trials, Trusts can enhance their partnership appeal to industry. In this context, the NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit can train NHS staff in a sequence of courses showing them how to conduct Health Economic trials.
Making NHS Data Count
Patient confidentiality and respect are the cornerstones of the NHS and must never be compromised. However, the patient datasets held by London NHS Trusts and PCTs represent an enormously valuable and hitherto untapped resource that could be utilised – sensitively and responsibly – to accelerate research and generate funds to support better patient care and access to better treatments.
In developing an economic case to overcome the ‘Fourth Hurdle’ and gain market access, it can be difficult for industry to access naturalistic data. Companies often have to rely on more theoretical, subjective estimates which can be unsatisfactory and less persuasive. In this arena, the NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit can act as a bridge to broker agreements that enable Trusts to help industry gain a better picture of how new or already marketed products might be used in ‘the real world’.
NHS Trusts involved in clinical trials are ideally placed to evaluate the economic impact of new therapies or devices in tandem with their work to assess clinical performance.
Health Outcomes for Trust Innovators
In addition to its contribution to decision making within London Trusts the NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit can support Trust innovators and help identify those ideas with genuine market potential.
In this context, the Unit applies its unique Xcelerate™ Health Outcomes process. This includes determining initial project viability from an economic perspective; sourcing expert opinion and powerful data to develop a robust Health Economic case; and explaining the economic advantages of new products to key audiences such as healthcare providers, investors or potential partners. The Unit can also provide consultancy research and advice to partners who adopt new NHS technologies.
NHSIL is already working with a number of NHS inventors to establish whether their ideas offer real and quantifiable patient and cost advantages and to build compelling economic cases to support the adoption of new innovations.
Training for Success
As well as its work to support decision making and Trust innovators and increase industry partnerships, the NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit can provide tailored training courses to educate Trust and PCT staff on the importance, principles and techniques of Health Economics and how its application can support better patient care.
On Time, On Budget
The NHSIL Health Outcomes Unit is confident of its ability to help the NHS Trusts it serves provide the best care for each pound spent. This dedicated team has the experience and skills to deliver timely Health Economic recommendations and reports at a competitive price.
The Health Outcomes Unit was launched to the NHSIL Steering Group on the 16th October 2008 at St Martin's Lane Hotel. You can access the presentations given on the day by clicking the details below:
How Can Health Economics Support NHS Trusts In Their Daily Decisions
Economic Evaluation and Decision Making in Uncertainty
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