The socioeconomic distribution of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy (LE) has usually been used as a metric to monitor population health. In the last few years, metrics such as Quality-Adjusted-Life-Expectancy (QALE) and Health-Adjusted-Life- Expectancy (HALE) have gained popularity in health research, given their capacity to capture health related quality of life, providing a more comprehensive approach to the health concept. We aimed to estimate the distribution of the LE, QALEs and HALEs across Socioeconomic Status in the Chilean population. METHODS: Based on life tables constructed using Chiang II´s method, we estimated the LE of the population in Chile by age strata. Probabilities of dying were estimated from mortality data obtained from national registries. Then, life tables were stratified into five socioeconomic quintiles, based on age-adjusted years of education (pre-school, early years to year 1, primary level, secondary level, technical or university). Quality weights (utilities) were estimated for age strata and SES, using the National Health Survey (ENS 2017). Utilities were calculated using the EQ-5D data of the ENS 2017 and the validated value set for Chile. We applied Sullivan´s method to adjust years lived and convert them into QALEs and HALEs. RESULTS: LE at birth for Chile was estimated in 80.4 years, which is consistent with demographic national data. QALE and HALE at birth were 69.8 and 62.4 respectively. Men are expected to live 6.1% less than women. However, this trend is reversed when looking at QALEs and HALEs, indicating the concentration of higher morbidity in women compared to men. The distribution of all these metrics across SES showed a clear gradient in favour of a better-off population-based on education quintiles. The absolute and relative gaps between the lowest and highest quintile were 15.24 years and 1.21 for LE; 18.57 HALYs and 1.38 for HALEs; and 21.92 QALYs and 1.41 for QALEs. More pronounced gradients and higher gaps were observed at younger age intervals. CONCLUSION: The distribution of LE, QALE and HALEs in Chile shows a clear gradient favouring better-off populations that decreases over people´s lives. Differences in LE favouring women contrast with differences in HALEs and QALEs which favour men, suggesting the need of implementing gender-focused policies to address the case-mix complexity. The magnitude of inequalities is greater than in other high-income countries and can be explained by structural social inequalities and inequalities in access to healthcare.

Economic evaluation of a multimorbidity patient centered care model implemented in the Chilean public health system.

Multimorbidity and patient-centered care approaches are growing challenges for health systems and patients. The cost of multimorbidity patients and the transition to a new care strategy is still sightly explored. In Chile, more than 70% of the adult population suffer from multimorbidity, opening an opportunity to implement a Multimorbidity patient-centered care model. The objective of this study was to perform an economic evaluation of the model from the public health system perspective.The methodology used a cost-consequence evaluation comparing seven exposed with seven unexposed primary care centers, and their reference hospitals. It followed three steps. First, we performed a Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing with routinely collected data routinely collected. Second, we run a comparative analysis through a propensity score matching and an estimation of the attributable costs to health services utilization at primary, secondary and tertiary care and health outcomes. Third, we estimated implementation and transaction costs.Results showed savings in aggregate costs of the total population (-0.12 (0.03) p < 0.01) during the period under evaluation. Costs in primary care showed a significant increase, whereas tertiary care showed significant savings. Health outcomes were associated with higher survival in patients under the new care model (HR 0.70 (0.05) p < 0.01). Implementation and transaction costs increased as the number of pilot intervention centers increased, and they represented 0,07% of the total annual budget of the Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Sur Oriente. After three years of piloting, the implementation and transaction cost for the total period was USD 1,838,767 and 393,775, respectively.The study's findings confirm the purpose of the new model to place primary health care at the center of care for people with non-communicable chronic diseases. Thus, it is necessary to consider implementation and transaction costs to introduce a broad health system multimorbidity approach. The health system should assume some of them permanently to guarantee sustainability and facilitate scale-up.

Streamlining breast cancer and colorectal cancer biosimilar regulations to improve treatment access in Latin America: an expert panel perspective.

In a multiday conference, a panel of Latin American experts in biological cancer therapies and health economics were provided with questions to address the barriers restricting access to biosimilars in Latin America, specifically for patients with breast cancer and colorectal cancer, for whom biosimilars can be a path forward to increasing access to care. During the conference, responses were discussed and edited until a consensus was achieved. The regulatory challenges identified in the conference included heterogenous regulations, non-adherence to regulatory pathways, scarcity of market opportunity, inadequate naming of biosimilars by only using international non-proprietary names, imprecise use of interchangeability and substitution, and insufficient traceability and pharmacovigilance. Recommendations were developed to improve the implementation of regulatory pathways and reliable procurement strategies that increase access to these therapies with adequate traceability and outcome measures; efforts from all involved stakeholders will be crucial. These recommendations can serve as a strategy for biosimilar adoption in other countries in a similar situation.

Social value and individual choice: The value of a choice-based decision-making process in a collectively funded health system.

Evidence about cost-effectiveness is increasingly being used to inform decisions about the funding of new technologies that are usually implemented as guidelines from centralized decision-making bodies. However, there is also an increasing recognition for the role of patients in determining their preferred treatment option. This paper presents a method to estimate the value of implementing a choice-based decision process using the cost-effectiveness analysis toolbox. This value is estimated for 3 alternative scenarios. First, it compares centralized decisions, based on population average cost-effectiveness, against a decision process based on patient choice. Second, it compares centralized decision based on patients' subgroups versus an individual choice-based decision process. Third, it compares a centralized process based on average cost-effectiveness against a choice-based process where patients choose according to a different measure of outcome to that used by the centralized decision maker. The methods are applied to a case study for the management of acute coronary syndrome. It is concluded that implementing a choice-based process of treatment allocation may be an option in collectively funded health systems. However, its value will depend on the specific health problem and the social values considered relevant to the health system.

[Equity in health and health technology assessment in Chile]. / Equidad en salud y evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias en Chile.

Equity has been recognized as one of the driving principles of many health systems in the world. In Latin America, Chile has led the explicit inclusion of equity in their health policies, which is reflected in its recent health reform. On the other hand, Chile faces the challenge of defining and implementing a policy for health technology assessment (HTA), which should be consistent with the equity principles that underlie the Chilean national health system. This paper reviews the equity concept emphasizing the relevance of socioeconomic inequalities. Furthermore, it examines how international HTA agencies have explicitly included this element in the evaluation and decision processes. It presents the English case, which highlights the elements of procedural justice rather than adopting a normative position regarding equity. Finally, it examines the methods that have been developed aiming to make explicit consideration of equity in HTA. It concludes that the methodological development to incorporate equity elements with empirical basis is recent and limited. The consideration of equity is, in most of the cases, left to the instances of deliberative participation.

[Health research and health technology assessment in Chile]. / La investigación en salud y la evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias en Chile.

Health research is considered an essential element for the improvement of population health and it has been recommended that a share of the national health budget should be allocated to develop this field. Chile has undertaken efforts in the last decades in order to improve the governmental structure created to promote the development of health research, which has increased human resources and funding opportunities. On the other hand, the sustained economic growth of Chile in the last decades suggests that the health expenditure will maintain its increasing trend in the following years. This additional funding could be used to improve coverage of current activities performed in the health system, but also to address the incorporation of new strategies. More recently, health technology assessment (HTA) has been proposed as a process to support decisions about allocation of resources based on scientific evidence. This paper examines the relationship between the development of health research and the HTA process. First, it presents a brief diagnosis of the situation of health research in Chile. Second, it reviews the conceptual basis and the methods that account for the relationship between a HTA process and the development of health research. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of identifying information gaps where funding additional research can be considered a good use of public resources. Finally, it discusses the challenges and possible courses of action that Chile could take in order to guarantee the continuous improvement of an articulated structure for health research and HTA.

Challenges for gene therapy in the financial sustainability of health systems: a scoping review.

AIM: To review the available evidence about the strategies implemented or proposed for coverage or reimbursement for currently approved gene therapies. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted to analyze the evidence published during the years 2016 to 2023. The main search criteria were coverage or reimbursement of gene therapy by healthcare systems. The eligible articles were those that described or proposed a financing model used to provide coverage in the various systems around the world. RESULTS: The study identified 279 publications, and after removing duplicates and screening for eligibility, 10 were included in the study. The results show that various financing models have been proposed, including subscription-based payment models, outcome-based payment models, and amortization strategies. However, several barriers to implementing these models were identified, such as deficiencies in informatics systems for data collection, changes in laws or regulations, the lack of accessible clinical endpoints and administrative costs. CONCLUSION: This scoping review provides an overview of financing strategies for gene therapies. Gene therapies can cure rare or previously intractable diseases, but their high cost can make access difficult. Publishing experiences with these models can help evaluate their use and gather more evidence for their effectiveness.

The legal path for priority setting in Chile: a critical analysis to improve health planning and stewardship.

Health systems have committed their path to universal health coverage using health planning to accomplish their goals of efficiency, equity and sustainability. Chile, a high-income country with a public-private mix health system, has made significant progress through several successive health policies implemented in the last 20 years which have been consistent with this approach. However, in the last 5 years, the national congress has produced several disease-specific laws, which have been mainly promoted by the civil society. These laws indicate the actions the health authority must perform to tackle the needs of the affected population, which ultimately determine the priorities of the health system. We argue that this legal pattern has become an alternative path to priority-setting, as opposed to health planning. We claim this "legal path" is a mechanism used by civil society in a context where the health authority fails to implement a robust and legitimate prioritization process. Although these laws have brought benefits to patients suffering the corresponding conditions, we highlight this approach does not guarantee improvements in equity, efficiency and health system performance. Instead, we advocate for taking back the control of the priority-setting based on health planning, through a new institutionalization of health technology assessment and quality of care.

Harnessing Health Technology Assessment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Keeping the Region on Course.

Latin America and the Caribbean has made significant progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), but health spending efficiency, equity, and sustainability remain major challenges-and progress is hindered by the difficult macroeconomic context. Health technology assessment (HTA) can make resource allocation more efficient and equitable when systematically used to inform coverage decisions. We highlight five considerations that need to be taken into account to realize the full potential of HTA in the LAC region: i) explicitly link HTA to decision-making and anchor it in legal frameworks, ii) systematically incorporate the opportunity cost as a core principle into HTA activities informing coverage decisions, iii) make the internationally available evidence more fit for purpose for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), iv) incorporate pragmatism as a key principle of HTA activities in the region, and v) institutionalize the monitoring of HTA processes and results.

Health and economic effects on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the long run: predictions for the Chilean population.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is associated to a high financial and disease burden, explaining a large proportion of expenditure of the health system in one year. The purpose of this study was to estimate long-term costs and health outcomes of recently diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes in Chile. METHODS: Cost and consequence study based on mathematical discrete event simulation (DES) model. We modelled expected costs (USD) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from diagnosis to death (or the age of 95) of a hypothetical cohort of 100,000 incident cases, simulated based on the Chilean National Health Survey 2018. The incidence of twelve complications was estimated assuming the hazard functions provided by the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study. We explore heterogeneity across patients based on their baseline risk covariates and their impact on costs and QALYs. RESULTS: The expected cost and QALY of a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes patient in Chile were USD 8660 and 12.44 QALYs. Both costs and QALYs were independently determined by baseline risk and the patient's life expectancy from the diagnosis. Length of life since diagnosis showed the major impact on costs (5.2% increase for every additional year). Myocardial infarction was the most frequent complication (47.4%) and the most frequent cause of death. CONCLUSION: Diabetes type 2 determines a significant expenditure of the health system and substantial health losses. Although the control of cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic control of the disease, both have an important impact on costs and outcomes, the main impact is achieved by postponing the age of onset of the disease.

A Model-Based Economic Evaluation of Cladribine Versus Alemtuzumab, Ocrelizumab and Natalizumab for the Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis with High Disease Activity in Chile.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of cladribine compared with alemtuzumab, natalizumab, and ocrelizumab for the treatment of highly active multiple sclerosis (HAD-MS) from the perspective of the Chilean health care public sector. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Markov model was used to compare costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) over a 45-year time horizon using a 3% discount rate for costs and outcomes. Natural history of the disease was modeled in terms of progression of disability according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). A network meta-analysis was used as a source of comparative effectiveness for disability progression and annual relapse rates. Differences in costs and outcomes were modeled for only 10 years due to high temporal uncertainty. Ocrelizumab was assumed to have the same efficacy as cladribine due to lack of data. Direct costs were taken from national tariffs and expressed in 2019 US dollars. Utilities for EDSS health states were obtained from the literature. Second-order uncertainty was characterized through deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. FINDINGS: Compared with natalizumab (the current strategy covered in Chile), cladribine is associated with incremental costs and QALYs of US$70,989 and 1.875, respectively (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio [ICER] $37,861). Ocrelizumab was extendedly dominated by cladribine and natalizumab, and alemtuzumab was dominated by cladribine. A scenario analysis of a 10% discount did not modify the results substantially, but showed a decrease in the ICER of cladribine versus natalizumab (ICER $29,833/QALY). IMPLICATIONS: Cladribine is a new oral alternative to treat patients with HAD-MS that is expected to produce higher QALYs than all evaluated alternatives. In the context of a conservative analysis, cladribine cannot be considered cost effective for the Chilean health care public sector using a 1 GDP per capita threshold. However, under reasonable discount scenarios, cladribine becomes an attractive alternative for the health system.

Knowledge Translation in Practice: Exploring the Potential Use of MCDA in Central America and the Caribbean.

The interest on Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) for healthcare priority setting has grown in popularity in the last few years. Literature shows several exercises where MCDA can be used to inform different types of priorities; however, there is little evidence on the feasibility of implementing this method in current institutionalized decision-making processes. We examined the willingness to implement MCDA as a tool to facilitate decision-making in Central America and the Caribbean (CAC). We convene 41 representatives of the healthcare public sector from 10 countries to explore whether they consider MCDA a robust tool to be incorporated in local priority setting processes and which ongoing decision-making process could be benefited from this methodology. We developed a 2-days hands-on training course to explain the technique, advantages and limitations. The group achieved a broad consensus that MCDA can be used in CAC to help priority setting processes because it introduces transparency, facilitates the implementation of a systematic process and is relatively easy to explain to many stakeholders. It was acknowledged that MCDA can be used to inform decisions about coverage, though a major opportunity was identified to help informing other decisions, such as priorities for joint purchasing and the elaboration of national plans.

Costs and consequences of chronic pain due to musculoskeletal disorders from a health system perspective in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a prevalent and distressing condition caused by an unceasing pain lasting more than 3 months or a pain that persists beyond the normal healing time. There is evidence of inadequate management partly explained by the unawareness regarding the magnitude of the problem. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the annual expected costs and consequences of chronic pain caused by musculoskeletal diseases from the health system perspective in Chile. METHODS: A Markov cohort model was built to represent chronic pain and estimate expected costs and consequences over 1-year time horizon. Transition probabilities were obtained through expert elicitation. Consequences examined were: years lost to disability (YLD), depression, anxiety, and productivity losses. Direct health care costs were estimated using local sources. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to characterize second-order uncertainty. RESULTS: The annual expected cost due to musculoskeletal chronic pain was estimated in USD $1387.2 million, equivalent to 0.417% of the national GDP. Lower back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee explained the larger proportion of the total cost, 31.8% and 27.1%, respectively. Depression attributed to chronic pain is another important consequence accounting for USD $94 million (Bayesian credibility interval 95% $49.1-$156.26). Productivity losses were also important cost, although early retirement and presenteeism were not measured. Chronic pain causes 137,037 YLDs. CONCLUSION: Chronic pain is not only an important cause of disability but also responsible for high social and financial burden in Chile. Public health programs focused on managing chronic pain may decrease burden of disease and possibly reduce costs.

Evaluación económica para Ia toma de decisiones sobre cobertura en salud: ¿qué debe saber el profesional de la salud? / Economic evaluation for decisions in health care: ¿what should the health professional know?

Los sistemas de salud enfrentan el gran desafío de mejorar la salud de las personas en un escenario de continuos cambios en el perfil epidemiológico, de nuevas tecnologías en salud y de restricción de recursos. En este contexto, el sistema se ve obligado a priorizar en base a un conjunto de elementos que den cuenta del valor que tiene una nueva intervención para ese sistema de salud. La evaluación económica es uno de los elementos técnicos que informa este juicio de valor. El presente artículo introduce la evaluación económica en salud al médico clínico, desde la perspectiva de un sistema de salud que busca lograr el máximo de salud con los recursos disponibles. Se contextualiza este instrumento en el proceso de evaluación de tecnologías en salud y se discute su relevancia en el actual contexto chileno.

Health care face the challenge of improving population in the context of continous epidemiological changes, development of new technologies and budget constraints. The system is forced to prioritize interventions based on a set of elements related to the value of a new intervention in that health system. Economic evaluation is one among different technical elements needed to arrive at a value judgement. This article to introduce the clinical physician to health economic evaluation with a perspective of obtaining the maximal health benefits given the available resources. The value of this instrument in the evaluation of health technologies and the implications for the current Chilean situation are discussed.

Equidad en Salud y Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias en Chile / Equity in Health and Health Technology Assessment in Chile

Equity has been recognized as one of the driving principles of many health systems in the world. In Latin America, Chile has led the explicit inclusion of equity in their health policies, which is reflected in its recent health reform. On the other hand, Chile faces the challenge of defining and implementing a policy for health technology assessment (HTA), which should be consistent with the equity principles that underlie the Chilean national health system. This paper reviews the equity concept emphasizing the relevance of socioeconomic inequalities. Furthermore, it examines how international HTA agencies have explicitly included this element in the evaluation and decision processes. It presents the English case, which highlights the elements of procedural justice rather than adopting a normative position regarding equity. Finally, it examines the methods that have been developed aiming to make explicit consideration of equity in HTA. It concludes that the methodological development to incorporate equity elements with empirical basis is recent and limited. The consideration of equity is, in most of the cases, left to the instances of deliberative participation.

La investigación en salud y la evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias en Chile / Health research and Health Technology Assessment in Chile

Health research is considered an essential element for the improvement of population health and it has been recommended that a share of the national health budget should be allocated to develop this field. Chile has undertaken efforts in the last decades in order to improve the governmental structure created to promote the development of health research, which has increased human resources and funding opportunities. On the other hand, the sustained economic growth of Chile in the last decades suggests that the health expenditure will maintain its increasing trend in the following years. This additional funding could be used to improve coverage of current activities performed in the health system, but also to address the incorporation of new strategies. More recently, health technology assessment (HTA) has been proposed as a process to support decisions about allocation of resources based on scientific evidence. This paper examines the relationship between the development of health research and the HTA process. First, it presents a brief diagnosis of the situation of health research in Chile. Second, it reviews the conceptual basis and the methods that account for the relationship between a HTA process and the development of health research. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of identifying information gaps where funding additional research can be considered a good use of public resources. Finally, it discusses the challenges and possible courses of action that Chile could take in order to guarantee the continuous improvement of an articulated structure for health research and HTA.

Descripción de las causas y tipos de tratamiento efectuados en dientes con invasión del espacio biológico o con necesidad de cirugía preprotésica: serie de casos / Descrição das causas e tipos de tratamentos efetuados em dentes com invasão de espaço biológico e/ou necessidade de cirurgia pré-protésica: série de casos / Description of causes and treatment types made in teeth with biological space invasion and/or in need of pre-prosthetic surgery: case series

Antecedentes: la decisión de rehabilitar o extraer un diente la determina conocer las causas de la destrucción dental que influyen en el plan de tratamiento y pronóstico. Objetivo: describir indicaciones, tratamientos quirúrgicos periodontales previos a la restauración dental, dientes más afectados y edad de pacientes con invasión del espacio biológico (IEB) o necesidad de cirugía preprotésica. Método: este trabajo es una serie de casos de 162 pacientes de ambos sexos, quienes fueron atendidos en las clínicas de pregrado de la Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador (UEES). Después del análisis clínico y radiográfico, se verificó la necesidad de procedimientos periodontales para la recuperación de espacio biológico o cirugías preprotésicas. Resultados: el 28% de los pacientes fueron hombres, y el 72%, mujeres. Las causas de IEB y tratamiento preprotésico más frecuentes fueron caries, márgenes subgingivales de restauraciones y fracturas. Los dientes más afectados fueron los premolares y primeros molares. El 60% de los procedimientos se realizaron en pacientes entre 23 y 42 años. Los tratamientos más frecuentes fueron alargamiento de corona clínica con ostectomía (62%), sin ostectomía (23,5%) y gingivectomía con electrobisturí (8,7%). Conclusión: caries, fracturas dentales y restauraciones subgingivales fueron las causas más frecuentes de IEB. El colgajo periodontal con ostectomía continúa siendo el procedimiento más utilizado para resolver dichos problemas. El reconocimiento de las causas de la IEB, los dientes más afectados, la edad de los pacientes y el tipo de tratamiento efectuado establecerá un mejor pronóstico rehabilitador, haciendo énfasis en las medidas operatorias necesarias para reducir el fracaso de la rehabilitación.

Background: The decision to rehabilitate or extract a tooth is determined by the knowledge of the causes of dental destruction affecting treatment plan and prognosis. Aim: Describe indications, surgical periodontal therapy prior to dental restoration, most affected teeth and age of the patients with invasion of biological space (IBS) and/or pre-prosthetic surgery. Methods: This is a case series report of 162 patients, male and female, who were treated at the predoctoral dental program of Universidad Evangélica de El Salvador. After clinical and radiographic analysis, the need for periodontal procedures for the recovery of biological space and/or pre-prosthetic surgery was verified. Results: 28% of patients were male and 72% female. The most common causes of IBS and/or pre-prosthetic treatment were caries, restorations with subgingival margins, and fractures. The most affected teeth were the premolarsand first molars. 60% of the procedures were performed in patients between 23-42 years of age. The most common treatments were clinical crown lengthening without ostectomy (23.5%), with ostectomy (62%), and electrosurgical gingivectomy (8.7%). Conclusion: Caries, fractured teeth and subgingival restorations were the most common causes of IBS The periodontal flap with ostectomy remains to be the most used procedure to solve these problems. Recognizing the causes of the IBS, the most affected teeth, the age of the patients and the type of treatment will allow for a better rehabilitating prognosis, emphasizing on the operative measures necessary to reduce rehabilitation failures.

Antecedentes: a decisão entre conservar ou extrair um dente é determinada pelo conhecimento das causas que produzem a destruição dental que influem no plano de tratamento e prognostico dos dentes envolvidos. Objetivo: descrever os procedimentos cirúrgicos periodontais realizados previamente à restauração dental, etiologia, dente mais afetado e idade dos pacientes. Método: este relatório é uma série de casos de 162 pacientes de ambos os sexos que foram tratados nos clínicas da graduação da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Evangélica de El Salvador. Posterior ao analise clínico, radiográfico e diagnóstico se realizou o plano de tratamento, onde se verificou a necessidade de procedimentos periodontais para a recuperação do espaço biológico (EB) e/ou pré-protéticos. Os procedimentos foram realizados por um operador treinado na área da periodontia. Resultados: 28% dos pacientes foram homens e 72% mulheres. As causas mais freqüentes de invasão do EB e/ou tratamento pré-protético foram caries, margens sub-gengivais de restaurações e fraturas. Os dentes mais afetados foram os pré-molares e primeiros molares. 60% dos procedimentos foram realizados em pacientes entre 23 y 42 anos. Os tratamentos mais freqüentes foram: Aumento de Coroa Clínica associado à Osteotomia (62%), sem Osteotomia (23,5%) e gingivectomia com eletrobisturi (8,7%). Conclusão: o reconhecimento das causas da invasão do EB, os dentes mais afetados, grupo etário e tipo de tratamento efetuado, permitirão estabelecer um melhor prognóstico reabilitador, pondo maior ênfase nas medidas reabilitadoras direcionadas à redução da falha ou fracasso reabilitador.