Table 1.
Determination of costs for economic evaluation
| Part A: health care utilization determined by time estimates and wage rates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type of utilization | Time estimate | Pay rate ($CDN) |
| Preparation and dispensation | ||
| Request and receiving | 0.5 min/vial | $26.86 per hour for a Medical laboratory assistant level IIa or $39.08 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level Ib |
| Assigning | ||
| Clinic-based IVIg and SCIg | 2 min/vial | $39.08 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level I |
| Home-based SCIg | 1 min/vial | $26.86 per hour for a Medical laboratory assistant level IIa or $39.08 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level Ib |
| Quality assurance | 10 min/patient | $41.61 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level II |
| Dispensation | 0.5 min/vial | $26.86 per hour for a Medical laboratory assistant level IIa or $39.08 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level Ib |
| Additional costs for patients in Edmonton receiving IgG at locations other than the central facility | ||
| Shipping from central facility | 0.5 min/vial | $26.86 per hour for a Medical laboratory assistant level II |
| Receiving at blood facility | 0.5 min/vial | $39.08 per hour for a Medical laboratory technologist level I |
| Training and support for self-administered SCIg (occurred the first year) | ||
| Training (occurred first year) | ||
| Patients in Northern Alberta | 6.75 h | $43.94 per hour for a registered nurse |
| Patients in Southern Alberta | 9 h | $43.94 per hour for a registered nurse |
| Part B: health care utilization determined by number of ambulatory clinic visits and cost per visit | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type of utilization | Number of visits | Cost per visit ($CDN) |
| Ambulatory clinic visits | ||
| Clinic-based IVIg and SCIg | Determined from administrative data | Determined by multiplying the RIW assigned to each clinic visit for IgG administration (i.e., Z29.1) by the CIHI cost of a standard ambulatory visit in Alberta during the year within which the visit occurred |
CAD Canadian; CIHI Canadian Institute for Health Information; IVIg Intravenous immunoglobulin G; RIW Resource intensity weight; SCIg Subcutaneous immunoglobulin G
aused for costing calculations among patients in the Edmonton Area
bused for costing calculations among patients in all other areas of the province