Children's Health

Integrated Analytics

Characterizing and managing complex systems often requires the use of multiple analytical tools. We listen to the questions that people ask, and we use the tools we need to answer these questions. It may sound simple, but our approach sets us apart from others who offer a single tool (for example, a hammer) and try to make all questions fit with that tool (for the example, into nails). We recognize that making informed decisions requires doing the hard work to find and synthesize the available evidence and to develop an understanding of what we do and don’t know. We integrate and iterate, and this allows us to collaborate with subject matter experts, decision makers, and other stakeholders to bring insights and shared understanding to complicated issues. The following list provides some examples of the analytical tools we use.

Areas of focus



Data Analysis and Synthesis

Evidence drives our work. We search for all of the available information in the literature, talk with subject matter experts, and evaluate and synthesize what we learn using quantitative methods to the extent possible. We use probability distributions to characterize variability, which comes from real differences that exist between individuals. We also use probability distributions to characterize uncertainty, which comes from a lack of perfect information and the need to make projections for prospective analyses.

Decision Analysis

We look at decisions analytically. We carefully consider all of the options and evaluate the trade-offs. Our work recognizes that individual values and preferences matter, and that to make good decisions, we need good information individually and collectively. As part of our work, we consider the challenges of characterizing the benefits of public policy interventions with respect to potential winners and losers, and we seek to find options that offer the opportunity for all to benefit on net with full consideration of uncertainty.

Economics

Achieving good health outcomes requires paying real money for interventions, but are we getting a good deal when we invest? We model the benefits and the costs of interventions to help individuals and public decision makers understand the trade-offs associated with their choices. Economic analyses include cost estimation, benefit-cost analysis, and cost-effectiveness analyses, and a large number of other methods. We typically report the results of our economic analyses using multiple metrics (for example, both as incremental net benefits and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios).

Economics

Achieving good health outcomes requires paying real money for interventions, but are we getting a good deal when we invest? We model the benefits and the costs of interventions to help individuals and public decision makers understand the trade-offs associated with their choices. Economic analyses include cost estimation, benefit-cost analysis, and cost-effectiveness analyses, and a large number of other methods. We typically report the results of our economic analyses using multiple metrics (for example, both as incremental net benefits and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios).

Risk Analysis

When assessing risks, we ask: what could happen (what are the possibilities?), how likely are these things to happen (what are the probabilities?), and what outcomes could we observe (what are the consequences?) We consider all aspects of risk analysis in our work, including risk perception, assessment, management, and communication. With respect to modeling risks, we simulate variability and/or uncertainty as appropriate, to provide estimates for different individuals and transparency about how uncertainty impacts the estimates.

System Dynamics

Understanding how things work drives us to build dynamic models to understand the complex systems. We see entire systems and characterize how the different components interact. Using system dynamics, we explore growth, feedback, and behaviors that can lead to unintended consequences as we explore how things may change over time.

Value of Information

When making decisions, sometimes the best option is to collect more data or get more information. Our expertise in value of information analysis permeates our approach to questions. We ask, would it really make a difference to get more information, or are we better off deciding now? If we could obtain better information, is it worth the cost and delay?

Contact us about your integrated modeling needs!