Upcoming webinars
Who gets funded fertility care? Rethinking New Zealand's BMI threshold
Karyn Anderson
This presentation will examine how the Clinical Priority Access Criteria determine access to funded fertility care, with a particular focus on restrictions based on body mass index (BMI), Drawing on her doctoral research, Karyn Anderson will consider the evidence underpinning these criteria and how well they correspond to womens' preferences.
Dr Karyn Anderson is a PhD Candidate in the School of Population Health and Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Science at Waipapa Taumata Rau/University of Auckland. Karyn's clinical experience is in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Her research interests lie broadly within Women's Health, including work for the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists conducting evidence reviews for clinical practice guidelines.
Switching from EQ-5D-3L to EQ-5D-5L in England: What Does It Mean for Cost-Effectiveness?
Dr Aline Navega Biz
The recent adoption of the new UK EQ-5D-5L value set has important implications for health technology assessment and economic evaluation. In this presentation, Dr Aline Navega Biz will discuss findings from a study examining the impact of moving from the EQ-5D-3L value set to the new EQ-5D-5L value set across a sample of NICE Technology Appraisals. The research found that health state utility values generally increase under the 5L value set, particularly for more severe health states, with substantial consequences for estimates of cost-effectiveness.
The effects are not uniform across technologies. Interventions that primarily extend survival, such as many cancer medicines, tend to appear more cost-effective under the new value set, while technologies that mainly improve quality of life may appear less cost-effective. The presentation will explore the magnitude of their impact on quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, and the broader implications for HTA decision making. The session will be of interest to health economists, HTA practitioners, policy makers, and others interested in the measurement and valuation of health outcomes.
Dr Aline Navega Biz is a Research Fellow in Decision Modelling within the Health Economics and Decision Science (HEDS) group at the School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (SCHARR). She joined SCHARR in 2018 and has extensive experience in health technology assessment, economic evaluation, decision modelling, and budget impact analysis. Prior to joining the University of Sheffield, she worked at the Health Technology Assessment Unit of the National Institute of Cardiology in Brazil. Her research focuses on the economic evaluation of health technologies and supporting evidence-based healthcare decision making.
Past webinars
Beyond the Diagnosis: The $22.6 Billion Cost of Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain in Aotearoa
Endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are common, debilitating, and frequently under-recognised conditions that can affect health, education, employment, relationships, and quality of life. Despite their substantial impact, their economic burden in Aotearoa New Zealand has not previously been comprehensively quantified.
This presentation will discuss the burden of endometriosis and CPP and findings from the first New Zealand cost-of-illness study of endometriosis and CPP. Drawing on patient-reported outcomes collected using the World Endometriosis Research Foundation's EndoCost tool, together with healthcare utilisation and productivity data, the study estimated both the direct and indirect costs associated with these conditions. The presentation will also consider the implications of these findings for health policy, service planning, workplace support, and equitable access to timely diagnosis and multidisciplinary care.
Dr Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith is a Research Fellow at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand and an Obstetrics and Gynaecology training registrar based at Christchurch Hospital. His research interests include clinical obstetrics and gynaecology, Hauora Māori, and improving outcomes for women, babies, and whānau in Aotearoa.
Jordan led the national study examining the economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Aotearoa New Zealand. His broader work includes research on Indigenous adolescent health and the experiences of Indigenous young people with racism. He is of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi descent, with strong connections to the South Island.
Dr Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith
Extended Pharmacy Services: Opening the Door to Faster, More Affordable Care
Abstract
Extended Pharmacy Services are changing the way people access clinical services, bringing treatment closer to home and making it easier to get timely care when it is needed. In this webinar, Andrew Bary will explore the thinking behind these services, how early funding decisions were made, and what has shaped the rollout so far. From equity and access to implementation challenges and early lessons, this session will offer a practical look at what Extended Pharmacy Services means for patients, pharmacies, and the future of primary care.
Speaker bio
Andrew Bary is the Acting Group Manager, Primary Care at Health New Zealand, where he oversees pharmacy services and pharmacy agreements.
A pharmacist by training, Andrew served on the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand from 2006 to 2010, and later as Chair from 2011 to 2015. More recently, he was Chief Pharmacy Advisor at Southern District Health Board from 2019 to 2023. Andrew brings a long-standing interest in the role of pharmacy in improving access to care and shaping effective health services.