Mizen - Simulation Projects

Tricor Cost Benefit Analysis

The ability to make drug choice alternatives in a managed care setting does not consider price alone but rather savings while providing consistent quality care. Some of the decisions can be displayed in spreadsheet format but this lacks clarity because "too much" information is available on one screen.

Approach

Working with Goble & Associates, Inc. a detailed spreadsheet was developed to calculate the impact of drug therapy choices for any sized managed care program. The objective was to demonstrate documented savings by placing Abbott's product, Tricor, in lieu of other alternatives for management of cholesterol levels. The program goal was clear customized presentations of the relevant information being calculated by an environment in real time with the opportunity to edit assumptions and weigh the impact of these modifications.

Lessons Learned

The use of an Excel spreadsheet as "blueprint" was a critical success factor for planning and testing the final application. The impact of moving calculations from one screen to the next and in reverse needed careful planning to insure accurate calculations were maintained while having many dependent variables open for updating and modification.