A Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Joshua T. Cohen, Peter J. Neumann, John B. Wong
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Ideas and Opinions19 September 2017A Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness AnalysisJoshua T. Cohen, PhD, Peter J. Neumann, ScD, and John B. Wong, MDJoshua T. Cohen, PhDFrom Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author, Peter J. Neumann, ScDFrom Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author, and John B. Wong, MDFrom Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-1153 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In a 2005 landmark article, John Ioannidis argued that in biomedical research, because of conflicts of interest, underpowered study designs, and an unwarranted focus on publishing positive findings, “most published research findings are false” (1). More than a decade later, this crisis in confidence continues to smolder. Headlines in recent years include, “Most Science Studies Appear to Be Tainted by Sloppy Analysis” (Wall Street Journal, 2007); “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science” (The Atlantic, 2010); and “Why Medical Clinical Trials Are So Wrong So Often” (Washington Post, 2015) (2).Questions of credibility likewise pertain to the rapidly growing field of ...References1. Ioannidis JP. Why most published research findings are false. PLoS Med. 2005;2:e124. [PMID: 16060722] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Bailey R. Broken science: what happens when cancer doctors, psychologists, and drug developers can't rely on each other's research? Reason. February 2016. Accessed at http://reason.com/archives/2016/01/19/broken-science on 10 April 2017. Google Scholar3. Hough J. As drug prices fall, these stocks could rise. Barron's. 15 April 2017. Accessed at www.barrons.com/articles/as-drug-prices-fall-these-stocks-could-rise-1492230223 on 12 June 2017. Google Scholar4. Laine C, Goodman SN, Griswold ME, Sox HC. Reproducible research: moving toward research the public can really trust. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:450-3. [PMID: 17339612]. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-146-6-200703200-00154 LinkGoogle Scholar5. Hanson B, Sugden A, Alberts B. Making data maximally available [Editorial]. Science. 2011;331:649. [PMID: 21310971] doi:10.1126/science.1203354 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Stodden V, McNutt M, Bailey DH, Deelman E, Gil Y, Hanson B, et al. Enhancing reproducibility for computational methods. Science. 2016;354:1240-1. [PMID: 27940837] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Teerawattananon Y, Tantivess S, Yamabhai I, Tritasavit N, Walker DG, Cohen JT, et al. The influence of cost-per-DALY information in health prioritisation and desirable features for a registry: a survey of health policy experts in Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Health Res Policy Syst. 2016;14:86. [PMID: 27912780] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Taichman DB, Backus J, Baethge C, Bauchner H, de Leeuw PW, Drazen JM, et al. Sharing clinical trial data: a proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:505-6. [PMID: 26792258]. doi:10.7326/M15-2928 LinkGoogle Scholar9. Bertagnolli MM, Sartor O, Chabner BA, Rothenberg ML, Khozin S, Hugh-Jones C, et al. Advantages of a truly open-access data-sharing model. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:1178-81. [PMID: 28328337] doi:10.1056/NEJMsb1702054 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Vandewalle P. Code sharing is associated with research impact in image processing. Comput Sci Eng. 2012;14:42-7. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Grant Support: This manuscript was funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, “Increasing use of health economic information for global health,” Investment ID OPP1171680, and by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Personalized Risk Information in Cost Effectiveness Studies (PRICES),” NIH Grant Award U01NS086294.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-1153.Corresponding Author: Joshua T. Cohen, PhD, Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Box 063, Boston, MA 02111; e-mail, [email protected]org.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Cohen and Neumann: Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Box 063, Boston, MA 02111.Dr. Wong: Division of Clinical Decision Making, Department of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Box 302, Boston, MA 02111.Author Contributions: Conception and design: P.J. Neumann.Drafting of the article: J.T. Cohen, P.J. Neumann, J.B. Wong.Critical revision for important intellectual content: J.T. Cohen.Final approval of the article: J.T. Cohen, P.J. Neumann, J.B. Wong.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: J.T. Cohen.This article was published at Annals.org on 29 August 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoA Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Christopher J. Sampson A Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness Analysis R. Brett McQueen , William V. Padula , and Jonathan D. Campbell A Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Joshua T. 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Sampson, BA, MScA Call for Open-Source Cost-Effectiveness AnalysisR. Brett McQueen, PhD, William V. Padula, PhD, MS, MSc, and Jonathan D. Campbell, PhDCan Economic Model Transparency Improve Provider Interpretation of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis? A ResponsePublishing source code could improve credibility of CEAs 19 September 2017Volume 167, Issue 6Page: 432-433KeywordsClinical trialsComputersCost effectiveness analysisDiabetes preventionDisclosureHealth economicsInformation storage and retrievalQuality of lifeSafetySimulation and modeling ePublished: 29 August 2017 Issue Published: 19 September 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...