Early health technology assessment (eHTA) of a primary care tool for the diagnosis and management of headaches in Alberta.

Diepreye Ayabina Ph.D, 1Sasha Van Katwyk Ph.D, 1Charles Yan Ph.D, 1Brian Chan Ph.D, 2Sarah Koles MSc. MD

1Institute of Health Economics, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

2 Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Background: Lasoo Health is an electronic consultation software in the early stages of development, designed to support headache diagnosis and the selection of a management strategy in primary care setting. It is offered to patients based on the primary doctor’s discretion and contingent on a patients’ consent. This early health technology assessment (eHTA) aims to assess the potential impact of Lasoo Health on timely access to effective headache management, the associated potential cost savings and improved health outcomes compared to the current standard of care in Alberta, Canada.

Methods: We developed a discrete event simulation of headache diagnostic pathways for Albertan patients suffering from primary and secondary headaches. The model was parameterized using secondary data sources identified through a search of relevant published literature combined with subject matter expert opinion. Cost-effectiveness was expressed from a societal perspective using the incremental net monetary benefit (iNMB) of Lasoo Health incorporated with the standard of care (SOC) compared to SOC alone over an analytical time frame of five years.

Results: Base case analysis results suggest that incorporating Lasoo Health into the SOC is estimated to reduce specialist assessment wait times by seventy percent and total per-patient costs by seven percent. Using a willingness to pay threshold of CAD 50,000 (USD 35,240), the iNMB per patient was estimated to be CAD 1,069 (USD 753).

Conclusion: The benefits of implementing Lasoo Health over a 5-year time horizon could translate to improved patient outcomes, a reduction in wait times for specialist assessments and productivity losses amongst headache patients.