Economic feasibility studies in the field of active implants and biosensors over simulations: A methodology for structured and valid results

Abstract

The market for active implants and biosensors is of high interest for medical industries. In many cases developments are triggered more by technical feasibility or opinion leader decisions than economic feasibility. As payors and health economic considerations are getting more important in terms of business planning and mid-term reimbursement, exact and (scientific) valid economic feasibility studies are getting more important for all parties. Unfortunately, literature mostly provides only single economic considerations targeted on single specific aspects (e.g. cost savings from reduced rehab in a special patient cohort with stroke). To make business planning and payor presentation / negotiation more effective and base the results on more valid information, the Center for Healthcare Management in Leipzig developed a methodology to collect relevant data for those health economic feasibility studies and normalize it to common parameters. This way semi-automated meta-studies can be exported from the database on selected questions and relevant studies. In a second step, a simulation-tool allows custom-tailored health economic feasibility study results e.g. in terms of a specific population mix of the investigation and/or targeted outcome parameters (e.g. saved cost at Provider, saved transportation cost, reduced rehab-rate in Population etc.). This way product development can already address market-related needs in a very early stage and later products can be marketed more targeted e.g. to a specific population-mix of a single healthcare provider or comparing different outcome parameters. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.