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3. Estimating the Impacts of Health Care Reform
Author(s) -
Sheils John
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the milbank quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1468-0009
pISSN - 0887-378X
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0009.t01-1-00044
Subject(s) - process (computing) , key (lock) , computer science , management science , health care , operations research , data science , process management , risk analysis (engineering) , engineering , economics , medicine , economic growth , computer security , operating system
Sherry Glied and her coauthors proposed a uniform format in which modelers could report their health system reform estimates and document the key assumptions used in their analyses. These proposals are designed to make the methods and assumptions more transparent to those policymakers who must rely on these estimates to evaluate health reform options. The authors also suggested that the different modelers' estimates would be easier to repair if all modelers used the same assumptions in areas on which they generally agree, which the authors called “consensus assumptions.” Ideally, using comparable assumptions would enable policymakers to evaluate the results from different modelers. Of course, if modelers really did agree on an assumption, they all could use the same model. Modelers typically select their assumptions based on their own research and a review of the relevant academic literature, which is a process that encourages new interpretations of the data and refinements in our thinking about health system dynamics. Replacing this process with a homogenized list of foregone conclusions could impinge on the creative process of model development.