RTI Health Solutions researchers contribute 43 poster and oral presentations at the ISPOR 20th Annual International Meeting

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Researchers from RTI Health Solutions (RTI-HS), a business unit of RTI International, will discuss the evolving landscape of health economics and outcomes research at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 20th Annual International Meeting in Philadelphia, May 16-20. On this 20th anniversary of the meeting, the theme is "Integrating Big Data, Patient Data, and Cost-Effectiveness into Clinical Practice: Promise and Prospects."

More than 45 RTI-HS researchers will attend the conference—many are co-authors on 43 poster and oral presentations that span innovations in research methods, best practices, and multiple topics about measuring quality of life and improving decision-making. The five-day meeting features over 1,750 presentations and includes short courses taught by RTI-HS staff.

RTI-HS's Sorrel Wolowacz, Ph.D., head of European Union health economics, Lynda Doward, head of European patient reported outcomes, along with Andrew Briggs, Professor of Health Economics at the University of Glasgow, will present the findings of an ISPOR Task Force that is developing Best Research Practices for Measuring Health State Utility Values for Economic Models in Clinical Studies.

The ISPOR Task Force aims to provide guidance on best practices for collection of these data. Wolowacz is co-chair of the Task Force and Doward is a member of the leadership group. 

"Health utility is a measure of preferences or value attached to health states, and is commonly measured via health-related quality of life instruments," said Wolowacz. "The quality of health utility data is critical to the quality of reimbursement decisions which affect patients' access to new treatments, physicians' ability to use them, and manufactures' return on investment."

ISPOR promotes health economics and outcomes research, and connects important information to health care decision makers. ISPOR has more than 16,000 members worldwide in nearly 115 countries. Josephine Mauskopf, Ph.D., vice president of Health Economics for RTI-HS is currently a member of the ISPOR board of directors.

RTI-HS is also an exhibitor and silver-level sponsor of the meeting. Find a list of RTI-HS attendees, posters, and presentations at the conference here.