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Objective To estimate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on FP finances in Alberta. Design A financial model that included fees, visits per day, number of days of practice, and overhead costs. Setting Alberta before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants Hypothetical fee-for-service FP practices. Interventions Changes in practice modes caused by the pandemic and changes to fees set by the Government of Alberta (no interventions were controlled by the researchers). Main outcome measures Annual average FP billings and annual average FP income after overhead expenses. Results Practice changes related to COVID-19 could result in a reduction in average FP income (billings after expenses) of 27% to 78%. Conclusion Practice pattern changes, including the rapid adoption of telemedicine owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reduce incomes for fee-for-service community FP practices in Alberta. Fees at current levels could make some practices unsustainable.

The Canadian province of Ontario provides full coverage for its residents (pop.14.8 M) for hospital-based diagnostic testing. Historical governance of the healthcare system and a legacy scheme of health technology assessment (HTA) and financing has led to a suboptimal approach of adopting advanced diagnostic technology (i.e. protein expression, cytogenetic, and molecular/genetic) for guiding therapeutic decisions. The aim of this research is to explore systemic barriers and provide guidance to improve patient and care provider experiences by reducing delays and inequity of access to testing, while benefitting laboratory innovators and maximizing system efficiency. A mixed-methods approach including literature review, semi-structured interviews, and a multi-stakeholder forum involving patient representatives (n = 1), laboratory leaders (n = 6), physicians (n = 5), Ministry personnel (n = 4), administrators (n = 3), extra-provincial experts, and researchers (n = 7), as well as pharmaceutical (n = 5) and diagnostic companies (n = 2). The forum considered evidence of good practices in adoption, implementation, and financing laboratory services and identified barriers as well as feasible options for improving advanced diagnostic testing in Ontario. Overarching challenges identified included: barriers to define what is needed; need for a clear approach to adoption; and the need for more oversight and coordination. Recommendations to address these included a shift to an anticipatory system of test adoption, creating a fit-for-purpose system of health technology management that consolidates existing evaluation processes, and modernizing the governance and financing of testing so that it is managed at a care-delivery level. The proposals for change in Ontario highlight the role that HTA, governance, and financing of health technology play along the continuum of a health technology life cycle within a healthcare system where decision-making is highly decentralized. Resource availability and capacity were not a concern – instead, solutions require higher levels of coordination and system integration along with innovative approaches to HTA.

Objectives To describe the trends in pharmacologic treatment for patients newly diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Alberta, Canada. Methods We linked Alberta health databases to identify patients aged ≥35 years with incident COPD between April 2010 and March 2017. Incident cases were defined as those who did not have a hospitalization or outpatient visit with COPD in the previous 2 years. Patients were categorized into two groups: 1) incident cases at a hospital and 2) incident cases at an outpatient clinic, and both were followed until death or being censored by 31 March 2018. Utilization of COPD medication for 30 days following incident event and adherence in maintenance therapy over time were reported. Results The study included 33,169 patients with incident COPD (hospital: 9,089; outpatient: 24,080). In 18,666 (56.3%) patients starting medication within 30 days of the incident event (2010: 52.7%; 2016: 56.6%; p=0.002), SABA (60.5%) and LABA/ICS (41.6%) were most commonly used. ICS (without LABA) was used in 14.2% and was used as monotherapy in 4.5% of patients. The proportion of patients who initiated any ICS was similar (hospital: 56.7%; outpatient: 55.7%; p=0.194) and decreased in both settings over time (p

Objective The objective of this study was to estimate the provincial and nationwide costs of industry-sponsored drug clinical trials (CTs) in Canada. Methods We used the Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) database, and included all industry-sponsored drug CTs that were conducted in Canada and completed in 2016. We estimated the costs of the study drugs using the market price. Estimates of the costs of management and patient services were based on industry contracts. Results The sample included 394 CTs that were conducted in 2039 facilities in Canada and provided services for 20,126 Canadian enrollees. Two-thirds of the CTs (277 of 394) were in the non-cancer category. On average, the drug costs per patient were 89,680 Canadian dollars ($Can) during the lifespan of the CTs, and were higher in cancer CTs than in non-cancer CTs ($Can216,876 vs. $Can65,274). The total costs of industry-sponsored drug CTs completed in 2016 was $Can2093.7 million. Drug costs accounted for the majority of this total ($Can1804.9 million). Ontario ($Can781.2 million) and Quebec ($Can757.5 million) had the highest costs. Conclusion The costs of industry-sponsored drug CTs completed in 2016 when measured in terms of market prices in Canada were valued at $Can2.1 billion. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s41669-019-0161-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective Our objective was to describe the costs of industry-sponsored clinical trials for medical devices in Northern Alberta, Canada. Methods We used centralized data to identify all industry-sponsored medical device clinical trials initiated in Northern Alberta from 2012 to 2016. For each arm of each trial, we calculated the price of devices provided by the sponsor and the cost of clinical and administrative services that were incurred to clinically operationalize the treatment. Results Our sample consisted of 18 device trials initiated between January 2012 and January 2016. The overall cost (Canadian dollars [$Can], year 2018 values) per enrolee was $Can18,243 for the experimental arm and $Can13,827 for the control arm. Devices were the highest cost component, at $Can13,446 per enrollee in the experimental arm. Clinical costs in the control arms were higher on average ($Can7202 vs. 2504) than those in the experimental arms. Conclusion Data from industry-sponsored clinical trials can provide important information on the full costs of device-related interventions. As device costs rise, and as policy makers require more evidence on device-related treatments, the cost of medical device-driven interventions should be documented along with their effectiveness.

Objective: We developed categories of the degree of restrictiveness of public schoolboards’ face mask policies in 10 US states that had no statewide mask mandates at any time during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data on schoolboards’ mask wearing policies for the individual boards in these states. Methods: We obtained school reopening plans found on school district webpages. We abstracted district mask policies and sorted them into groups indicating whether mask wearing was required or recommended. Results: Overall, 44% of boards mandated masks in school settings. There was a wide variation of policies within and between states. Conclusions: When left to their own resources, schoolboards will follow a variety of policies, many of which are a departure from state recommendations.

Objective Low productivity while at work (presenteeism) has been reported to produce significant cost excesses for organizations and economies. However, many of these reports have been based on estimates drawn from self-report instruments that are not supported by evidence showing their efficacy. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess associations between responses to leading self-report tests of presenteeism and self-recorded on-the-job productivity. Methods Health care worker self-ratings of productivity were taken from a questionnaire that contained the key item from each presenteeism instrument. Productivity levels were drawn from employee reported daily work activity logs. Results Test-based productivity estimates did not show strong associations with daily recordings of work activity. Conclusions Associations were too low to recommend any test as a proxy measure for reported productivity. It is suggested that objective measures of work output be explored.

Recently, both the Canadian and provincial governments have instituted policies to reduce manufacturers’ prices for generic ($250 million sales annually) and brand name ($1,300 million sales annually) drugs. Both government groups made estimates of the financial magnitude of changes in drug prices, but neither has estimated the impact on retail pharmacies. We used a Cost-Volume-Profit model combined with operational data collected nationally to estimate the national impact of the pricing policy changes on pharmacy gross profits. Results show the average value of gross profits per pharmacy per year was approximately $440,000. It is estimated that the policy changes will lead to a 6.8% reduction in gross profits. Adding reductions in rebates for generic drugs, the pharmacies’ reductions in gross profits will be 7.2%. In conclusion, policy-makers often ignore how their pricing changes influence the financial position of pharmacies, even though the impact can be substantial.

BackgroundCanada has a long history of the use of clinical evidence to support healthcare decision making. Given improvements in data holdings and analytic capacity in Canada and stakeholder interest, the purpose of this study is to reflect on perceptions of the value of real-world evidence in pricing and reimbursement decisions, barriers to its optimal use in pricing and reimbursement, current initiatives that may lead to its increased use, and what role the pharmaceutical industry may play in this.Methods/ResultsTo capture stakeholder perceptions, ninety-one participants identified as key stakeholders were identified according to background roles and geography and invited to participate in four round table discussions conducted under Chatham House rule. Important themes emerging from these discussions included: (i) the need to understand what “real world” evidence means; (ii) barriers to using real world evidence from differences in access, governance, inter-operability, system structures, expertise, and quality across Canadian health systems; (iii) differing views on industry's role.ConclusionsThe use of real-world data in Canada to inform pricing and reimbursement decisions is far from routine but nascent and slowly increasing. Barriers, including interoperability concerns, may also apply to other federated health systems that need to focus on the networking of healthcare administrative data across provincial jurisdictional boundaries. There also appears to be a desire to see better use of pragmatic trials linked to these administrative data sets. Emerging initiatives are under way to use real world evidence more broadly, and include identification of common data elements and approaches to networking data.

Objective: To measure the provincial government cost of mental health–related activities for youth ages 12 to 17 in Alberta in 2014 to 2015. Methods: The target population was Alberta youth ages 12 to 17 (the federal justice definition) who received or were funded for mental health–related or complementary services from Alberta Health Services, Alberta Health, Alberta Human Services, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, and Alberta Education (public schools). Data on services and expenditures were obtained from each source for the target youth population. Results: Costs for mental health–related services for all ministries were $175 million for 27,169 youth who used mental health services as defined by Policy Wise, $6460 per youth. Public school special education supplements for youth with emotional problems was the largest group, amounting to 30% of all costs. Other prominent sources of expenditures were hospital inpatient mental health services (18%), community mental health services (11%), physician mental health services (10%), and secure services with treatment requiring judicial approval (9%). Conclusion: Economists in several countries have developed countrywide measures of mental health expenditures and have used these to generate national benchmarks for mental health spending. We have estimated spending for Alberta provincial mental health and addiction services for a distinct and highly vulnerable group. This measure can be used to develop measures and benchmarks for other provinces, which will be valuable policy indicators.

Clinical research is funded by industry, governments, charities, and hospitals. It is important to know the economic commitment of the various funding bodies, but until now there has been no national source available which provides these data. We surveyed the major funders to provide such a measure. There is evidence that government and charity funding of medical research is a trigger for private sector research investment; therefore, tracking all sources of funding for clinical research will provide policy-makers with an overall picture of health research funding. These data support policy decision-making related to clinical research in Canada.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to measure provincial spending for mental health services in fiscal year (FY) 2013 and to compare these cost estimates to those of FY 2003. Methods: This study estimated the costs of publicly funded provincial mental health services in FY 2013 and compared them to the estimates for FY 2003 from a previously published report. Our data were obtained from publicly accessible databases. The cross-year cost comparisons for provincial mental health services were restricted to general and psychiatric hospital inpatients, clinical payments to physicians and psychologists, and prescribed psychotropic medications. Total public expenditures were inflation adjusted and expressed per capita and as a percentage of the total provincial health spending. Results: Total public spending for mental health and addiction programs/services was estimated to be $6.75 billion for FY 2013. The largest component of the expenditures was hospital inpatient services ($4.02 billion, 59.6%), followed by clinical payments to physicians or psychologists ($1.69 billion, 25%), and then publicly funded prescribed psychotherapeutic medications ($1.04 billion, 15.4%). Nationally, the portion of total public spending on health that was spent on mental health decreased from FY 2003 to FY 2013 from 5.4% to 4.9%. Conclusion: Our results reveal that mental health spending, as a proportion of public health care expenditures, decreased in the decade from FY 2003 to FY 2013. Due to large differences in how the provinces report community mental health services, we still lack a comprehensive picture of the mental health system.

Since 2000, 5 studies have been published that each purported to estimate aggregate national mental health costs in Canada. Each of these studies used a different method. Our aim was to compare the studies, and we created a framework for the different elements used to assess mental health costs (direct costs, indirect costs, transfer payments, and “human” costs). In addition, each study used different parameters (population covered, diagnosis) and cost components to estimate the economic impact of mental health. Our framework can help analysts to understand the purpose of different cost components. We conclude that to achieve a consensus on the magnitude of mental health costs, we need to use more standardized approaches.

Objectives To describe the trends in pharmacologic treatment for patients newly diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Alberta, Canada. Methods We linked Alberta health databases to identify patients aged ≥35 years with incident COPD between April 2010 and March 2017. Incident cases were defined as those who did not have a hospitalization or outpatient visit with COPD in the previous 2 years. Patients were categorized into two groups: 1) incident cases at a hospital and 2) incident cases at an outpatient clinic, and both were followed until death or being censored by 31 March 2018. Utilization of COPD medication for 30 days following incident event and adherence in maintenance therapy over time were reported. Results The study included 33,169 patients with incident COPD (hospital: 9,089; outpatient: 24,080). In 18,666 (56.3%) patients starting medication within 30 days of the incident event (2010: 52.7%; 2016: 56.6%; p=0.002), SABA (60.5%) and LABA/ICS (41.6%) were most commonly used. ICS (without LABA) was used in 14.2% and was used as monotherapy in 4.5% of patients. The proportion of patients who initiated any ICS was similar (hospital: 56.7%; outpatient: 55.7%; p=0.194) and decreased in both settings over time (p

The United States federal government developed a COVID-19 blueprint for states to follow; it included the issuance by state/local governments of “stay at home” orders coupled with lists of essential services. Suppliers of these services would be exempt from closure so their workers could fulfill their essential functions. The blueprint was embraced by the states in a variety of ways. In this paper, we identify how business closure rules were enacted across the states for each of 15 types of services. The outcome measures were: “open” “open with restrictions” and “closure”. For six business types, most states permitted businesses to open. In four types, businesses were mainly closed. In three, they were allowed to open with restrictions. In the rest, there was a mixture of outcomes. In sum, the federal blueprint resulted in a regulatory patchwork as it spread throughout the country.

This article explores a literary record, the Old English Advent Lyrics, in the reception history of the literary portrayals of the Virgin Mary in order to determine if there are distinctive features in its portrayal of this subject. In the process a review is made of the five poems within this text where Mary is a subject. This examination reveals that the poet relied more upon words, phrases, and ideas about Mary found in earlier liturgical and literary portraits of the Virgin Mary from the Roman Latin liturgy and period theological writings to construct these portrayals of Mary than upon related portrayals of her found in Latin texts of the canonical Scripture. Further, it also leads to the conclusion that, building upon these prior portraits, the poet has expanded Mary's role in order to offer her more veneration. While evidence is manifest in the second, fourth, ninth, and twelfth poems in the Advent Lyrics, it is especially apparent in the seventh poem, where Mary appears as an angelic messenger and spiritual teacher in her relationship with Joseph.

In a randomised trial comparing transobturator tape (TOT) to retropubic tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) for women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), vaginal examination at 12 months showed that tapes were palpable for 80.0 % of the TOT group versus 26.7 % of the TVT group. We hypothesized that this difference would lead to more women in the TOT group experiencing vaginal mesh erosion or other serious adverse events compared to women in the TVT group 5 years after surgery. All participants were invited to join the follow-up study after being randomised to receive TOT or TVT for SUI. Consenting women had a vaginal examination, a pad test for urinary incontinence (UI) and completed Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaires (HRQOL). Women unable to attend the clinic completed questionnaires only. The primary composite outcome incorporated mesh exposure, urinary retention, repeat incontinence surgery and moderate to severe pelvic pain. Assuming 80 % follow-up, our study would have 67 % power to detect a difference in primary outcome (two-sided 5 % level of significance). Comparisons between groups used chi-square tests and t tests. One hundred and seventy-six (88.4 %) women participated in the 5-year follow-up (83 TOT, 93 TVT). The primary composite outcome occurred in 21.8 % of the TOT and 27.6 % of the TVT groups [difference =−5.8 %, 95 % confidence interval (CI) −18.9 % to 7.3 %, p value 0.39)] Vaginal examination found more women with palpable tapes in the TOT versus the TVT group (48.5 % versus 22.4 %, p value 0.001). There were no other significant differences between groups. Serious adverse events and tape effectiveness did not differ between groups at 5 years. Palpable tape remains a concern for women who receive TOT for treating SUI.

Purpose: In pharmaceutical clinical trials, industrial sponsors pay for study drugs and related healthcare services. We conducted a study to determine industry’s economic contribution of these trials to the Alberta healthcare system. Methods: We used data from two trial centers for cancer and non-cancer trials at the University of Alberta. For each trial (cancer, non-cancer), we calculated the cost of drugs provided by the sponsors using the market price, the cost of clinical services, and the cost of administrative services that they paid. We extrapolated these results to all trials in Alberta based on information obtained from the registration website ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Our sample consisted of 40 non-cancer and 39 cancer drug trials which were initiated in 2012. The monetary value of the industry sponsors’ contribution was $799,055 per non-cancer and $630,243 per cancer drug trial. Drugs (in-trial and post-trial) accounted for 84% of the total contribution of the non-cancer drug trials whereas it represented 93% of all trial-related contributions in the cancer category. The total province-wide contribution of industry-sponsored drug trials which were initiated in 2012 was estimated to be $101 million, including open-label drugs in the non-cancer category. Conclusions: Industry-sponsored pharmaceutical trials represent a major economic contributor to clinical research within the province.

Adding universal rectal screening to urogenital screening should positively impact rectal Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) incidence in affected populations. A dynamic Markov model was used to evaluate costs and outcomes of three rectal CT screening strategies among women attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in Alberta, Canada: universal urogenital-only screening (UG-only), additional selected (exposure-based) rectal screening (UG+SR), and additional universal rectal screening (UG+UR). The model included two mutually exclusive health states: infected and susceptible. Additionally, the model included two rounds of transmission: male sex partners of women infected with rectal-only CT and female sex partners of those men. CT complications impacting patients’ quality of life (QALY) were considered. Alberta and Canadian data were used to estimate model inputs. We used a health care perspective, a time period of 10 years, and a discount rate of 3% for analyses. Compared to UG-only screening, the incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were CA$34,000 and CA$49,000 per QALY gained for UG+SR and UG+UR screening strategies, respectively. Compared to UG+SR, the ICER was CA$62,000 per QALY gained for the UG+UR strategy. Both adjunct selected and universal rectal screening strategies are cost effective compared to UG-only screening, and UG+UR screening is cost effective when compared to UG+SR screening.

Because health care resources are constrained, decision-making processes often require clarifying the potential costs and savings associated with different options. This involves calculating a program's costs. The chosen costing perspective defines the costs to be considered and can ultimately influence decisions. Yet reviews of the literature suggest little attention has been paid to the perspective in economic evaluations. This article's purpose is to explore how the costing perspective can affect cost estimates.As a vehicle for our discussion, we use service use data for clients enrolled in 6 Ontario early psychosis intervention programs. Governmental and nongovernmental payer costing perspectives are considered. We examine annual costs associated with early psychosis intervention clients enrolled for ≤12 months versus those enrolled for12 months. This also allows for an assessment of the impact that choice of time horizon can make on the results.The difference in total between group cost for hospital, emergency room, and physicians is $2499; the12-month group has relatively higher mean costs. When all governmental and nongovernmental costs are considered, there is a mean between-group cost difference of $1272, with lower mean costs for the12-month group.Although the Ministry of Health bears a large proportion of costs, other governmental agencies and the private sector can incur a sizeable share. This example demonstrates the potential importance of including other cost perspectives with the hospital sector in analyses as well as the impact of time horizon on cost estimates.

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the trends and regional variation of stroke hospital care in 30-day in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 1-year total hospitalization cost after implementation of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy. Methods New ischemic stroke patients (N = 7632) admitted to Alberta acute care hospitals between 2006 and 2011 were followed for 1 year. We analyzed in-hospital mortality with logistic regression, LOS with negative binomial regression, and the hospital costs with generalized gamma model (log link). The risk-adjusted results were compared over years and between zones using observed/expected results. Results The risk-adjusted mortality rates decreased from 12.6% in 2006/2007 to 9.9% in 2010/2011. The regional variations in mortality decreased from 8.3% units in 2008/2009 to 5.6 in 2010/2011. The LOS of the first episode dropped significantly in 2010/2011 after a 4-year slight increase. The regional variation in LOS was 15.5 days in 2006/2007 and decreased to 10.9 days in 2010/2011. The 1-year hospitalization cost increased initially, and then kept on declining during the last 3 years. The South and Calgary zones had the lowest costs over the study period. However, this gap was diminishing. Conclusions After implementation of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy, both mortality and hospital costs demonstrated a decreasing trend during the later years of study. The LOS increased slightly during the first 4 years but had a significant drop at the last year. In general, the regional variations in all 3 indicators had a diminishing trend.

Background Mental illness has been widely cited as a driver of costs in the criminal justice system. Objective The objective of this paper is to estimate the additional mental health service costs incurred within the criminal justice system that are incurred because of people with mental illnesses who go through the system. Our focus is on costs in Alberta. Methods We set up a model of the flow of all persons through the criminal justice system, including police, court, and corrections components, and for mental health diversion, review, and forensic services. We estimate the transitional probabilities and costs that accrue as persons who have been charged move through the system. Costs are estimated for the Alberta criminal justice system as a whole, and for the mental illness component. Results Public expenditures for each person diverted or charged in Alberta in the criminal justice system, including mental health costs, were $16,138. The 95% range of this estimate was from $14,530 to $19,580. Of these costs, 87% were for criminal justice services and 13% were for mental illness-related services. Hospitalization for people with mental illness who were reviewed represented the greatest additional cost associated with mental illnesses. Conclusion Treatment costs stemming from mental illnesses directly add about 13% onto those in the criminal justice system.

Background: Significant gaps in the evidence base on costs in rural communities in Canada and elsewhere are reported in the literature, particularly regarding costs to families. However, it remains unclear whether the costs related to all resources used by palliative care patients in rural areas differ to those resources used in urban areas. Aim: The study aimed to compare both the costs that occurred over 6 months of participation in a palliative care program and the sharing of these costs in rural areas compared with those in urban areas. Design: Data were drawn from two prior studies performed in Canada, employing a longitudinal, prospective design with repeated measures. Setting/participants: The urban sample consisted of 125 patients and 127 informal caregivers. The rural sample consisted of 80 patients and 84 informal caregivers. Most patients in both samples had advanced cancer. Results: The mean total cost per patient was CAD26,652 in urban areas, while it was CAD31,018 in rural areas. The family assumed 20.8% and 21.9% of costs in the rural and urban areas, respectively. The rural families faced more costs related to prescription medication, out-of-pocket costs, and transportation while the urban families faced more costs related to formal home care. Conclusion: Despite the fact that rural and urban families assumed a similar portion of costs, the distribution of these costs was somewhat different. Future studies would be needed to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of costs incurred by families taking care of a loved one at the end of life and the determinants of these costs in urban versus rural areas.

Objectives: Economic evaluations, although not formally used in purchasing decisions for medical devices in Canada, are still being conducted and published. The aim of this study was to examine the way that prices have been included in Canadian economic evaluations of medical devices.Methods: We conducted a review of the economic concepts and implications of methods used for economic evaluations of the eleven most implanted medical devices from the Canadian perspective.Results: We found Canadian economic studies for five of the eleven medical devices and identified nineteen Canadian studies. Overall, the device costs were important components of total procedure cost, with an average ratio of 44.1 %. Observational estimates of the device costs were obtained from buyers or sellers in 13 of the 19 studies. Although most of the devices last more than 1 year, standard costing methods for capital equipment was never used. In addition, only eight studies included a sensitivity analysis for the device cost. None of the sensitivity analyses were based on actual price distributions.Conclusions: Economic evaluations are potentially important for policy making, but although they are being conducted, there is no standardized approach for incorporating medical device prices in economic analyses. Our review provides suggestions for improvements in how the prices are incorporated for economic evaluations of medical devices.