Evidence based policy decisions through a Bayesian approach: The case of a statin appraisal in the Netherlands

Willem Woertman, Bram Vermeulen, Hans Groenewoud and Gert Jan van der Wilt

Health Policy, 2013, vol. 112, issue 3, 234-240

Abstract: It has often been suggested that Bayesian statistics is more congenial to the informational needs of policy makers than the standard frequentist methods. In order to illustrate this claim, we use both a Bayesian and a frequentist approach for revisiting a recommendation by the Dutch National Health Insurance Board that for all patients requiring lipid reduction, the cheapest alternative (Simvastatin) should be prescribed. We investigate whether Simvastatin and Atorvastatin, the most commonly used alternative, can be considered equivalent in terms of lipid control for patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Keywords: Evidence based policy making; Bayesian analysis; Health insurance reimbursement; Hypercholesterolemia; Simvastatin; Atorvastatin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:112:y:2013:i:3:p:234-240

DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2013.06.015

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