Objective: The aim of this project is to estimate the costs of producing one incremental quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in Denmark for patients suffering acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This will be used to assess opportunity costs in the Danish health care sector.
Methods:A Markov model is used to estimate costsand QALY for two alternatives; one reflecting the current treatment of AIS and one reflecting a hypothetical alternative with no treatment strategy. A limited societal perspective is taken, and input parameters for the model are primarily found through systematic literature searches.
Results:The results show that the costs per incremental QALY is DKK 224,146.62. However, due to assumptions, a large uncertainty on the results is present.
Discussion:Firstly, methods used for estimating costsand QALY are discussed, followed by a comparison to other studies. This is a novel way of using a Markovmodel to estimate opportunity costs. The method is exact in estimating costs of AIS, but has low generalizability and can not be transferred directly to other areas. Lastly, the importance of prioritization in healthcare is emphasized.
Conclusion:In Denmark, the costs of producing one incremental QALY for AIS patients are DKK224,146.62. Further research in different disease areas is needed to estimate opportunity costs in the Danish health care sector.