Reduced costs with bisoprolol treatment for heart failure - An economic analysis of the second Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS-II)

Background Beta-blockers, used as an adjunctive to diuretics, digoxin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, improve survival in chronic heart failure. We report a prospectively planned economic analysis of the cost of adjunctive beta-blocker therapy in the second Cardiac Insufficiency BIsoprolol Study (CIBIS II). Methods Resource utilization data (drug therapy, number of hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, ward type) were collected prospectively in all patients in CIBIS . These data were used to determine the additional direct costs incurred, and savings made, with bisoprolol therapy. As well as the cost of the drug, additional costs related to bisoprolol therapy were added to cover the supervision of treatment initiation and titration (four outpatient clinic/office visits). Per them (hospital bed day) costings were carried out for France, Germany and the U.K. Diagnosis related group costings were performed for France and the U.K. Our analyses took the perspective of a third party payer in France and Germany and the National Health Service in the U.K. Results Overall, fewer patients were hospitalized in the bisoprolol group, there were fewer hospital admissions perpatient hospitalized, fewer hospital admissions overall, fewer days spent in hospital and fewer days spent in the most expensive type of ward. As a consequence the cost of care in the bisoprolol group was 5-10% less in all three countries, in the per them analysis, even taking into account the cost of bisoprolol and the extra initiation/up-titration visits. The cost per patient treated in the placebo and bisoprolol groups was FF35 009 vs FF31 762 in France, DM11 563 vs DM10 784 in Germany and pound 4987 vs pound 4722 in the U.K. The diagnosis related group analysis gave similar results. Interpretation Not only did bisoprolol increase survival and reduce hospital admissions in CIBIS II, it also cut the cost of care in so doing. This `win-win' situation of positive health benefits associated with cost savings is Favourable from the point of view of both the patient and health care systems. These findings add further support for the use of beta-blockers in chronic heart failure

Aktuelle Trends in der Softwareforschung: Tagungsband zum doIT Software-Forschungstag am 09. Juni 2005

Der vorliegende Tagungsband enthält die Keynotes und Fachvorträge des doIT Software-Forschungstages 2005. Der doIT Software-Forschungstag präsentiert jährlich den aktuellen Stand der Forschung im Software-Bereich. Gezeigt werden Entwicklungen in der Grundlagenforschung und Beispiele der Anwendungsforschung aus allen Branchen und für alle Unternehmensprozesse. Der Kongress soll zur Diskussion zwischen Experten sowie Forschung und Wirtschaft anregen und richtet sich daher gezielt an die wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiter der Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen sowie an Fachleute aus IT-Unternehmen und mittelständische Anwender. Für Baden-Württemberg mit seiner Vielzahl an Forschungseinrichtungen und Unternehmen ist der Software-Bereich von besonderer Bedeutung. Um den Wissenschaftstransfer zwischen Forschung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der Softwareforschung zu fördern und zu stärken, führt die MFG Stiftung im Rahmen von doIT, der IT- und Medienoffensive Baden-Württemberg, Projekte wie den doIT Software-Award und den doIT Software-Forschungstag gemeinsam mit Partnern aus Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft durch. Die intensive Wechselwirkung von Forschung und Industrie steht hierbei im Mittelpunkt. Erklärtes Ziel ist es, einen Beitrag zu Innovation und nachhaltigem Wachstum zu leisten

AkuVis: Interactive visualization of acoustic data

Fehr R, Börner K, Wachsmuth I. AkuVis: Interactive visualization of acoustic data. In: Haasis H-D, Ranze CK, eds. Umweltinformatik '98: Vernetzte Strukturen in Informatik, Umwelt und Wirtschaft. Vol 2. Marburg: Metropolis-Verlag; 1998: 722-728.AkuVis (Interactive Visualization of Acoustic Data) is a joint project involving the Artificial Intelligence as well as the Visualization Laboratory at the University of Bielefeld, government researchers from the Institute of Public Health NRW and the Local Environmental Agency Bielefeld as well as the German TÜV. The project seeks to create a highly interactive virtual environment of modelled acoustic data in order to sensitize and improve human decision-making in real world tasks. In particular, it attempts to enhance the integrated understanding of noise data as a basis for governmental decisions about noise protection regulations for new streets, industrial areas etc