Pharmacoeconomics in Healthcare: More Than Dollars

Course overview

Pharmacoeconomics is a relatively new subset of economics in which researchers measure and value the outcomes of different healthcare interventions, including medications, medical procedures, medical devices, and many others. However, valuing healthcare interventions via pharmacoeconomic studies is not sufficient for real-world application and is typically combined with outcomes research. Outcomes from pharmacoeconomic research affect nearly every part of the pharmaceutical industry. The increasing national drug expenditure highlights the importance of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research and rising healthcare costs year-over-year. This course discusses the four main analysis tools used to evaluate the cost and outcomes of medical interventions. After reviewing this CE, pharmacists and staff will be able to identify how they currently use the basics of pharmacoeconomics in their daily practice, improve their foundational understanding of pharmacoeconomics, and apply some of these evaluation methods to improve patient care.