Foundations of Pharmacoeconomics

Learn the skills, methodology, and personnel needed to perform and evaluate pharmacoeconomics research.

About
this Program

Start | January 20th, 2025

Duration | 8 to 10 hours

Location | Virtual 

Fees | Member: $600 ; Non-member: $650 

Registration Deadline | December 2nd, 2024

The program is the first of its kind that takes a holistic approach to learning the skills, methodology, and personnel needed to perform and evaluate pharmacoeconomics research. This professional certificate provides framework and tools needed to conduct and evaluate pharmacoeconomic research to help inform decision-making. Participants will have access to this online program starting on January 20th, 2025. Non-members will have until March 17th, 2025 to complete the program to receive the certificate. Members will have until April 4th, 2025 to complete the program to receive the certificate. 

We must not minimize the reality of limited, finite resources. Our heightened awareness of this forces us to be judicious with the use of our resources. We must be intentional with value creation due to endlessly competing options available.

Pharmacoeconomics is used to inform resource allocation decisions and define effective pharmaceutical policies.

Professionals within the healthcare space provide numerous value-added products and services - such as life-saving procedures and medications. Nevertheless, many healthcare decisions are not made solely on demonstrated clinical outcomes but rather include cost, quality of life, and patient-preferences measures. 

Therefore, anyone who ultimately has the power to make any decision in healthcare needs to equip themselves with the skills to conduct or, at the very least, evaluate outcomes research – of which pharmacoeconomics is a type.

Three Realities Shaping the Need for the Program

  • The demand to conduct and understand pharmacoeconomic analyses has grown out of the need and pressure faced by decision-makers, professionals, and healthcare providers to quantify and justify the value of products and services available or provided.

  • There is a lack of exposure to tools among professionals to conduct and/or evaluate pharmacoeconomic literature adequately. While many resources for conducting and evaluating pharmacoeconomics analysis exist, they still lack a clear, holistic, simple bird’s eye view approach to summarizing the common elements involved in the discipline’s foundation of research-creation, evaluation, and communication. There is a need to see the “world of pharmacoeconomics” in all of its facets to help professionals understand what it would take to perform and evaluate these analyses (from the content to the teams and ultimately to communicating the information).

  • Although knowledge of pharmacoeconomics is a valuable skill, few professionals are formally trained in the field. Traditional training of outcomes research remains limited and has failed to reach everyone. There is a need to build the capabilities of professionals in this space.

Pharmacoeconomics analyses allow decision-makers to evaluate both the costs and patient health outcomes. Information can be used to make decisions on a patient-by-patient level basis as well as determine policies on a global (macro) scale.

There’s never a “blank check” in healthcare, so how do we objectively decide where to allocate our resources? 

When equipped with better information, professionals can more efficiently assign resources.

What you will learn

Modules

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course after completing a final reflection.  

  • “This was an eye opening and rewarding course, which sharpened my knowledge and skills in Pharmacoeconomics Analysis.”

    Program Participant

  • “Great course, I enjoyed it and look forward to applying PE to my specific challenges with resource allocation and decision-making!"

    Program Participant

  • “I love how the Pharmacoeconomics Canvas was laid out by block, and the accompanying slides/vides provided a real in-depth set of questions to consider at each block of the canvas. The canvas is such a great resource, but it really requires the user to have an open mind and constantly ask the right questions along the way. The other huge benefit of the Pharmacoeconomics Canvas was the ability to break down the analyses in smaller more manageable pieces of information so that I would not get overwhelmed.”

    Program Participant

  • “I think the biggest change is that I would be much more effective as a PE analysis team member now that I have a better understanding of the overall project needs that are associated with conducting such an analysis.”

    Program Participant

  • “I have increased my knowledge and expertise on how studies are developed. I have a better understanding of how decision makers look at outcomes and cost.  I now see value for money differently. I have a better understanding of understanding pharmacoeconomic data. I have improved my level of understanding the limitations of pharmaeconomic studies and data."

    Program Participant

  • “One of the greatest benefits of this program was providing me with a baseline knowledge of pharmacoeconomics so that I can confidently participate in decision making. Secondly this program trained me in how I can better analyze data presented, to determine if it is truly representative and should influence or be a factor in the decision making process.”

    Program Participant

  • “I was able to learn how to effectively analyze and use data to develop research and inform decision-making.”

    Program Participant

  • “Throughout the narrative, I would pause the slides, take notes and think of ways to apply these studies into resource allocation decisions I'm currently facing.”

    Program Participant

Benefits

By participating in this program, you will:

  • Acquire the fundamental understanding of the principles to articulate, work one, evaluate studies, and use these tools and information in practice and decision-making when needed.

  • Simplify a complex discipline and see the world of healthcare decision-making differently.

  • Apply the gained knowledge to allow the information generated through these analyses to be higher quality and more useful in practice.

  • Improve your abilities and confidence to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate pharmacoeconomics literature.

Who Should Participate

This online certificate program is designed for diverse learners, stakeholders and decision-makers in healthcare. The responsibility to ensure proper use of resources is not limited to specific healthcare professionals. It is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders – e.g., healthcare providers, professionals, payers, and society. 

Everyone, regardless of prior expertise or background in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, would benefit from learning the skills and fundamentals taught in this program. 

Learners who are looking to:

  • Broaden their scope of skills and build holistic skills set to better inform decisions

  • Utilize objective methods to inform healthcare decisions

  • Discover what other skills are needed among professionals

Designed for:

  • Item description

No prior in-depth knowledge or expertise in this field is needed. If you are wondering if you can participate, do not hesitate to reach out to our team at contact@salusvitaegroup.com.

How You Will Learn

The program is delivered completely online via self-guided, on-demand videos. All videos are recorded and no "live" videos or events will take place during the course. You will spend time outside the live sessions reflecting on what you're learning in the course and how this contributes to your knowledge base, recommendations, and vision.

You will receive:

Throughout the course, you will complete a number of milestones along with the content. The milestones help you reflect on your learnings in each module as you progress through the course. You will be asked to complete a Final Reflection to receive the certificate of completion at the end of the course.

  • “My knowledge about pharmacoeconomic has changed as a result of this program in terms of being more knowledgeable on various of topics under pharmacoeconomic, whether it was refreshing some material or learning something totally new. The knowledge learned can help me in decision making for various topics and analyzing data quickly and more accurately. This program will help me go long way in the HEOR fellowship and gives me something to fall back on if I run into any issues in the future projects.”

    Program Participant

  • “This program helped me better understand PE and how it is evolving. It also helped me realize all of the components and how they all fit together. The exercise with the Canvas was good to see the weaknesses/strengths in the articles I read. The canvas helps me think through a project so not to omit or make errors and get the best answer we can.  You made a good point on how critical it is for various people, departments and experts need to work as a team to get the best results that will make an impact.”

    Program Participant

  • “This program has helped me understand how PE analyses can be optimally organized, staffed, and executed. It also provided more details on different ways that value can be assessed in PE analyses. Understanding both the method and the nature of value will let me better anticipate how to provide a product that has recognizable value for other stakeholders in healthcare.”

    Program Participant

  • “I have learned to closely examine the decision-making process within the organization as well so that I can better understand the needs of the organization, who the decision makers are, what approach is used to prioritize the decisions, and what are the decision criteria. Finally, I have learned about the limitations and/or issues with pharmacoeconomic analyses in this program so I can more easily identify which issues my organization is concerned about and the remedy for these problems.”

    Program Participant

  • “I would describe the program as a great way to gain a comprehensive understanding of pharmacoeconomics. The program provides a broad overview of the economics of drug pricing and availability, and explores how to develop equitable and innovative solutions. Additionally, the program provides the necessary tools and frameworks to effectively analyze and utilize data to inform decision-making. Finally, the program enables the development of technical and analytical skills which are essential for creating sustainable strategies to improve access to medication for all individuals.”

    Program Participant

  • “I found benefit in practicing the decision-making process. It is not something that I stop to think about every day, but I definitely am more aware of who the decision makers are, what their perspective is, how will they use the data, and what is important to them. Finally, the pharmacoeconomic canvas module was really a great lesson in workload management when it comes to evaluation PE. There are so many factors and things can be confusing, but the canvas was a really helpful tool for breaking down the various parts.”

    Program Participant

How to Enroll

The enrollment process is quick, easy, and requires no special documentation.

The program is intentionally designed with limited access  to prompt participants to learn and implement the material swiftly. This encourages participants to immerse themselves fully in the content and swiftly integrate new skills into their professional or academic pursuits. We aim to cultivate proactive learning habits and work to ensure participants can leverage their newfound skills effectively in real-world scenarios within a recent timeframe. The hope is that participants take action on what they’ve learned shortly after enrolling and completing the training. Please be mindful of the dates when enrolling.

Meet the Faculty

Dr. Rola Kaakeh

Dr. Kaakeh is the CEO of Salus Vitae Group and author of the book "The Art of Pharmacoeconomics." She is a fellowship-trained, licensed pharmacist with over seventeen years of experience in various settings and institutions. She has produced numerous impactful publications, received a number of awards, and presented on several global, prominent stages to address pressing healthcare issues. She has focused her efforts on improving access to medications and healthcare decision-making over the years. She holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from Purdue University, and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Health Services Research from the University of Michigan.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The next cohort will begin on January 20th, 2025. Participants will have access to this online program starting on January 20th, 2025. Non-members will have until March 17th, 2025 to complete the program to receive the certificate. Members will have until April 4th, 2025 to complete the program to receive the certificate. To avoid missing the enrollment period, join the waitlist.

  • The program includes over 8 hours of content delivered via self-paced, on-demand videos and articles. You will also spend time outside of the videos reflecting and writing a short reflection. 

  • The enrollment deadline for the next cohort is December 2nd, 2024. 

  • The program is conducted online, and you can use your own computer to access the content. 

  • The enrollment process is quick, easy, and requires no special documentation.  Follow the prompts to enroll.

  • The program encompasses five modules. It is the first of its kind that takes a holistic approach to learning the skills, methodology, and personnel needed to perform and evaluate pharmacoeconomics research. This professional certificate provides framework and tools needed to conduct and evaluate pharmacoeconomic research to help inform decision-making. A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the program after the completion of a final reflection.

  • You will receive over eight hours of self-guided, on-demand videos. All videos are recorded and no "live" videos or events will take place during the program. Throughout the program, you will complete a number of milestones along with the program content. The milestones help you reflect on what you’ve learned in each module as you progress through the program. You will also receive worksheets for note-taking and answer reflection questions posed within the videos and throughout the program.

  • This program is designed to broaden your understanding, challenge your assumptions, and re-imagine how we use pharmacoeconomics in practice. The program will help you acquire the knowledge needed, expand your perspectives, and enhance your confidence to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate pharmacoeconomics literature.

  • You will be asked to complete one assignment to receive the certificate of completion at the end of the program. You will synthesize your learning from the program in a paper. The final reflection paper is structured based on specific prompts and questions that require you to reflect on, analyze, and ultimately synthesize material covered in the lessons and modules. Answering the reflection questions throughout the program will assist in completing this activity. If you have any questions, please reach out to our team at contact@salusvitaegroup.com.

  • This online certificate program is designed for diverse learners, stakeholders and decision-makers in healthcare. The responsibility to ensure proper use of resources is not limited to specific healthcare professionals. It is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders – e.g., healthcare providers, professionals, payers, and society. Everyone, regardless of prior expertise or background in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, would benefit from learning the skills and fundamentals taught in this program. No prior in-depth knowledge or expertise in this field needed to participate in the program.  If you are wondering if you can participate, do not hesitate to reach out to our team at contact@salusvitaegroup.com.

  • The registration fee for a member is $600 and a non-member is $650.  Please be mindful of all dates (open and close) when enrolling. Refund Policy: Due to the format of our offerings (webinars, coaching, courses, programs, workshops, and memberships), all transactions are final. No refunds will be issued. 

  • The program is intentionally designed with limited access  to prompt participants to learn and implement the material swiftly. This encourages participants to immerse themselves fully in the content and swiftly integrate new skills into their professional or academic pursuits. We aim to cultivate proactive learning habits and work to ensure participants can leverage their newfound skills effectively in real-world scenarios within a recent timeframe. The hope is that participants take action on what they’ve learned shortly after enrolling and completing the training. Please be mindful of the dates when enrolling.

  • Email our team at contact@salusvitaegroup.com if you have any questions. We would be delighted to discuss the program with you and answer all your questions.