THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENT PREFERENCES FOR COMORBIDITIES IN COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSES

When using cost-effectiveness analyses to prioritize the allocation of health care resources across patients, a standard definition of effec tiveness must be used. In an informal review of cost-effectiveness ana lyses, we found a heterogeneity in the methods used to qualify adjust years of life. Many studies do not account for the morbid conditions t hat patients experience other than the index condition being studied. These studies systematically overstate health benefit relative to stud ies that do for comorbidities. We recommend that patient preferences f or comorbid conditions be incorporated into analyses to allow a consis tent and facile comparison of cost-utility ratios for societal decisio n making.