Enhancing Regional RTD and Innovation Development through Foresight & Mentoring : Scenario Development and Action Plan for RTD and Innovation Promotion up to 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland

The Regional Economic RTD Policy through Foresight & Mentoring (REFORM) project was one of 18 projects funded under the Sixth Framework Programme within the ‘Regions of Knowledge 2’ call, which were launched in 2006 with the aim to promote increased and improved regional investment in research and development through mutual learning, coordination and collaboration between regional policy developers and regional initiatives. It is accepted that it is essential to enhance the integration and coordination between private and public R&D investments, and to provide appropriate support through R&D policy and infrastructure, to promote economic progress in Europe. The REFORM project developed, supported and implemented a variety of measures and activities which will enable regions to understand their particular needs to enable increased RTD activity and investment in the future. Through mechanisms such as Foresight and a new Mentoring Programme, the project developed a number of individual action plans for partners, which will provide the infrastructure for new RTD policy and its implementation, and thus increase the economic growth of the EU as a whole. Additional actions, including study visits, workshops and a conference supported the transfer of good practice and knowledge to those regions in the developmental stages of increasing RTD investment, increasing the rate of transfer through hands on support, promotion and participation.The Regional Economic RTD Policy through Foresight & Mentoring (REFORM) project was one of 18 projects funded under the Sixth Framework Programme within the ‘Regions of Knowledge 2’ call, which were launched in 2006 with the aim to promote increased and improved regional investment in research and development through mutual learning, coordination and collaboration between regional policy developers and regional initiatives. It is accepted that it is essential to enhance the integration and coordination between private and public R&D investments, and to provide appropriate support through R&D policy and infrastructure, to promote economic progress in Europe. The REFORM project developed, supported and implemented a variety of measures and activities which will enable regions to understand their particular needs to enable increased RTD activity and investment in the future. Through mechanisms such as Foresight and a new Mentoring Programme, the project developed a number of individual action plans for partners, which will provide the infrastructure for new RTD policy and its implementation, and thus increase the economic growth of the EU as a whole. Additional actions, including study visits, workshops and a conference supported the transfer of good practice and knowledge to those regions in the developmental stages of increasing RTD investment, increasing the rate of transfer through hands on support, promotion and participation

Estimating the cost impact of atrial fibrillation using a prospective cohort study and population-based controls.

AIMS Atrial fibrillation (AF) costs are expected to be substantial, but cost comparisons with the general population are scarce. Using data from the prospective Swiss-AF cohort study and population-based controls, we estimated the impact of AF on direct healthcare costs from the Swiss statutory health insurance perspective. METHODS Swiss-AF patients, enrolled from 2014 to 2017, had documented, prevalent AF. We analysed 5 years of follow-up, where clinical data, and health insurance claims in 42% of the patients were collected on a yearly basis. Controls from a health insurance claims database were matched for demographics and region. The cost impact of AF was estimated using five different methods: (1) ordinary least square regression (OLS), (2) OLS-based two-part modelling, (3) generalised linear model-based two-part modelling, (4) 1:1 nearest neighbour propensity score matching and (5) a cost adjudication algorithm using Swiss-AF data non-comparatively and considering clinical data. Cost of illness at the Swiss national level was modelled using obtained cost estimates, prevalence from the Global Burden of Disease Project, and Swiss population data. RESULTS The 1024 Swiss-AF patients with available claims data were compared with 16 556 controls without known AF. AF patients accrued CHF5600 (EUR5091) of AF-related direct healthcare costs per year, in addition to non-AF-related healthcare costs of CHF11100 (EUR10 091) per year accrued by AF patients and controls. All five methods yielded comparable results. AF-related costs at the national level were estimated to amount to 1% of Swiss healthcare expenditure. CONCLUSIONS We robustly found direct medical costs of AF patients were 50% higher than those of population-based controls. Such information on the incremental cost burden of AF may support healthcare capacity planning

Estimating the cost impact of atrial fibrillation using a prospective cohort study and population-based controls

AIMS Atrial fibrillation (AF) costs are expected to be substantial, but cost comparisons with the general population are scarce. Using data from the prospective Swiss-AF cohort study and population-based controls, we estimated the impact of AF on direct healthcare costs from the Swiss statutory health insurance perspective. METHODS Swiss-AF patients, enrolled from 2014 to 2017, had documented, prevalent AF. We analysed 5 years of follow-up, where clinical data, and health insurance claims in 42% of the patients were collected on a yearly basis. Controls from a health insurance claims database were matched for demographics and region. The cost impact of AF was estimated using five different methods: (1) ordinary least square regression (OLS), (2) OLS-based two-part modelling, (3) generalised linear model-based two-part modelling, (4) 1:1 nearest neighbour propensity score matching and (5) a cost adjudication algorithm using Swiss-AF data non-comparatively and considering clinical data. Cost of illness at the Swiss national level was modelled using obtained cost estimates, prevalence from the Global Burden of Disease Project, and Swiss population data. RESULTS The 1024 Swiss-AF patients with available claims data were compared with 16 556 controls without known AF. AF patients accrued CHF5600 (EUR5091) of AF-related direct healthcare costs per year, in addition to non-AF-related healthcare costs of CHF11100 (EUR10 091) per year accrued by AF patients and controls. All five methods yielded comparable results. AF-related costs at the national level were estimated to amount to 1% of Swiss healthcare expenditure. CONCLUSIONS We robustly found direct medical costs of AF patients were 50% higher than those of population-based controls. Such information on the incremental cost burden of AF may support healthcare capacity planning

Umfrage zum Stand der Nachhaltigkeitsorientierten Gemeindeführung in der Deutschschweiz : Modulbericht 1 des KTI-Forschungsprojekts NOGF

Die vorliegende Umfrage beschreibt den IST-Zustand der Nachhaltigkeitsorientierten Gemeindeführung in der Deutschschweiz und ist ein erster Meilenstein zur Beantwortung folgender Fragen. Wie soll man die Reise Richtung Nachhaltigkeit gestalten? Welchen Beitrag kann die Führung einer Gemeinde dazu leisten

One-year adherence to oral antihyperglycemic medication and risk prediction of patient outcomes for adults with diabetes mellitus: an observational study

Medication adherence is essential in preventing adverse intermediate outcomes, but little is known on hard outcomes. The aims of this study were to determine the 1-year adherence to oral antihyperglycemic drugs (OADs) and to predict the risk of subsequent health outcomes among (non)adherent patients with diabetes.Using a large Swiss healthcare claims database from 2011 to 2014, we identified all patients aged ≥18 years with diabetes and treated with at least 1 OAD prescription. Adherence to OADs was measured as the proportion of days covered (PDC) over 1 year and subdivided into 2 categories: adherent (PDC ≥ 80%), nonadherent (PDC < 80%). We estimated the relative risk of hospitalization and mortality at follow-up using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models.Based on a sample of 26,713 patients, adherence to OADs was quite low: 42% of the patients achieved a PDC of ≥80% during the 1-year observation period. A 7% reduction in the hospitalization risk and a 10% reduction in the risk of mortality could be observed in adherent patients compared to nonadherent patients (hazard ratio [HR], 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.97]; HR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.82-0.99]). Subgroup analysis showed that an intensified diabetes therapy had no significant influence on the risk of both outcomes in adherent patients.Poor medication adherence increases the risk of subsequent hospitalizations and premature mortality in patient with diabetes, regardless of disease severity and comorbidities. This emphasizes the need for an earlier identification of patients with poor medication adherence. The awareness of physicians and patients regarding the importance of adherence in diabetes treatment should be increased

Real-world data on topical therapies and annual health resource utilization in hospitalized Swiss patients with ulcerative colitis

Objectives: Topical treatment with aminosalicylates and/or budesonide was shown to be highly effective in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), while reducing the likelihood of systemic adverse effects. However, previous research has shown that topical treatment is clearly underused. We aimed to evaluate the use of topical therapy in the real-world setting. Methods: This is an observational study based on claims data of 201 Swiss adult patients who were hospitalized for UC between 2012 and 2014 and who were then followed for 1 year. A variety of factors presumably associated with topical treatment were examined. Annual health care utilization (UC-related medications, diagnostic procedures, consultations, and rehospitalizations) of patients with versus without topical therapy was compared. Results: Of the 201 hospitalized UC patients, 82 (40.8%) were treated with topical 5-acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and/or topical rectal steroids. The main factors significantly and positively associated with receiving topical treatment were the use of topical treatment in the year prior to the hospitalization, receiving oral 5-ASA, and living in an urban area. The mode of administration was further related to the language area. Patients with topical therapy significantly more often received other UC-related medications, such as combinations with systemic steroids. They significantly more often underwent colonoscopies and calprotectin measurements, and more often consulted a gastroenterologist in the follow-up, while there was no significant difference regarding rehospitalizations. Conclusions: Topical treatment is underused in patients with UC, which stands in contrast to the current European Crohn's and Colitis Organization guidelines. Patients' preferences and considerations need to be taken into account when prescribing medical therapy

Systematic analysis of therapeutic patterns and healthcare use during 12 months before inflammatory bowel disease-related hospitalization in Switzerland

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Given the lack of data, we aimed to systematically analyze therapeutic patterns and health resource utilization in the year before inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-related hospitalization. METHODS Based on claims data of the Helsana health insurance group, therapy patterns and health resource utilization were assessed, and costs reimbursed by mandatory basic health insurance were calculated during a one-year period before an index hospitalization between 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015. RESULTS We analyzed 344 IBD patients (140 ulcerative colitis [40.7%], 204 Crohn's disease [59.3%]). Drug regimens applied in the year before index hospitalization were as follows: no IBD drugs (43.6% ulcerative colitis, 43.1% Crohn's disease); 5-ASA (45.7% ulcerative colitis, 19.1% Crohn's disease); local steroids (17.9% ulcerative colitis, 17.6% Crohn's disease); systemic steroids (38.6% ulcerative colitis, 29.4% Crohn's disease); immunomodulators (10.7% ulcerative colitis, 18.1% Crohn's disease); biologics (10% ulcerative colitis, 24% Crohn's disease); and calcineurin inhibitors (2.1% ulcerative colitis, 1.5% Crohn's disease). Forty-five percent of ulcerative colitis patients and 31.4% of Crohn's disease patients had no diagnostic procedures [computed tomography (CT), MRI, radiograph, sonography, colonoscopy, and calprotectin] in the year before hospitalization. Total annual health care costs before index hospitalization was EUR 4060 (interquartile range (IQR) 2360-7390) for ulcerative colitis and EUR 4900 (IQR 1520-14 880) for Crohn's disease patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Over 40% of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease patients did not receive any treatment in the year before index hospitalization. Efforts should be launched to timely diagnose and adequately treat IBD outpatients

Follow-up ileocolonoscopy is underused in Crohn’s disease patients after ileocecal resection despite higher total and inpatient health-care costs compared to controls

Background: Postoperative recurrence is frequently observed after ileocecal resection in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. Since 2010, endoscopy within 1 year is considered the gold standard for its diagnosis. However, if and how frequent such endoscopies are performed in clinical practice remains unknown. Methods: We analyzed 1-year follow-up data on CD patients who underwent ileocecal resection between 2012 and 2014 and compared them with hospitalized, non-resected CD controls. Data were extracted from the Helsana database. Helsana is one of the largest Swiss health insurance companies providing coverage for 1.2 million individuals. Results: A total of 645 CD patients were identified with ≥1 hospitalization between 2012 and 2014 and a follow-up of 1 year. Of these, 79 (12.2%) underwent ileocecal resection. Although endoscopy rates increased over time and were higher in patients with resection versus controls (p = 0.029), in only 54.4% a 1-year follow-up ileocolonoscopy was performed. Postoperative prophylaxis with anti-tumor necrosis factor or azathioprine was prescribed in 63.3%. Female sex and age >60 years were independent predictors for not receiving prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] 0.36, p = 0.048, and OR 0.2, p = 0.022). Patients with resection had significantly lower numbers of rehospitalizations (1.2 vs. 1.8, p = 0.021), with resection being an independent negative predictor for number of rehospitalizations in a Poisson regression model (incident risk ratio 0.64, p = 0.029). However, disease-related surgery was more often the cause for rehospitalization after resection versus controls (47.6 vs. 22.1%, p = 0.015). Total and inpatient health-care costs were higher in these patients. Conclusion: Endoscopies are underused after ileocecal resection. This contrasts current guidelines. Physicians should be aware of this underuse and perform follow-up examinations more often

Temporal trends and regional disparities in cancer screening utilization: an observational Swiss claims-based study

BACKGROUND: We examined colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer screening utilization in eligible populations within three data cross-sections, and identified factors potentially modifying cancer screening utilization in Swiss adults. METHODS: The study is based on health insurance claims data of the Helsana Group. The Helsana Group is one of the largest health insurers in Switzerland, insuring approximately 15% of the entire Swiss population across all regions and age groups. We assessed proportions of the eligible populations receiving colonoscopy/fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), mammography, or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in the years 2014, 2016, and 2018, and calculated average marginal effects of individual, temporal, regional, insurance-, supply-, and system-related variables on testing utilization using logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 8.3% of the eligible population received colonoscopy/FOBT in 2014, 8.9% in 2016, and 9.2% in 2018. In these years, 20.9, 21.2, and 20.4% of the eligible female population received mammography, and 30.5, 31.1, and 31.8% of the eligible male population had PSA testing. Adjusted testing utilization varied little between 2014 and 2018; there was an increasing trend of 0.8% (0.6-1.0%) for colonoscopy/FOBT and of 0.5% (0.2-0.8%) for PSA testing, while mammography use decreased by 1.5% (1.2-1.7%). Generally, testing utilization was higher in French-speaking and Italian-speaking compared to German-speaking region for all screening types. Cantonal programs for breast cancer screening were associated with an increase of 7.1% in mammography utilization. In contrast, a high density of relevant specialist physicians showed null or even negative associations with screening utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in cancer screening utilization was modest over time, but considerable between regions. Regional variation was highest for mammography use where recommendations are debated most controversially, and the implementation of programs differed the most