The Art of Pharmacoeconomics
Healthcare resources are scarce.
How much are you willing to pay to save a life or extend life for a year?
What should policymakers and society be willing to pay for an additional or incremental unit of health gain?
If you make any
decision in healthcare,
then this book is for you.
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.
Pharmacoeconomics
is used to inform resource allocation decisions and define effective pharmaceutical policies.
Speaks to the Art
The Art of Pharmacoeconomics is the first of its kind book that takes a macro-level approach to the methodology, skills, and personnel needed to perform and evaluate pharmacoeconomics research. This book speaks to the art, and not just the technical features, of the discipline.
Dr. James Stevenson
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Michigan & Chief Clinical Officer at Omnicell
“The Art of Pharmacoeconomics by Dr. Rola Kaakeh was written to provide an introduction to pharmacoeconomics to students, residents, and healthcare and public health professionals. It is written as a metaphor to creating a painting or other work of art. It is clear that another purpose of the book was to try to simplify terms, principles, and methods that are often complex and confusing to those who are new to this field. The book succeeds in meeting this goal. The information is presented in a very pleasing and clear manner and facilitates joy in learning this material, rather than getting overwhelmed with technical details.” Dr. James Stevenson
The objective of the book is that you see the world of healthcare decision-making a little differently. It serves as an easy-to-read guide to the key elements that go into the process of conducting and evaluating pharmacoeconomics analyses and provides the reader with the framework and tools needed (including a pharmacoeconomics canvas).
Goals of the Book
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Simplify a complex discipline to break down the skills gaps and competency barriers faced by healthcare professionals.
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Provide an essential beginner’s fundamental understanding of the principles to articulate, work on, evaluate studies, and use these tools and information in practice and decision-making when needed.
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Allows the information generated through these analyses to be higher quality and more useful in practice.
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Improve abilities to understand, interpret, and critically evaluate pharmacoeconomic literature, which will assist in translating the results of the analyses into practice and determine its relevance in healthcare decision-making.
Dr. Lucinda Maine
Executive Vice President & CEO
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
“This reference guide offers many target audiences a highly valuable resource to demystify pharmacoeconomic analyses. Understanding the language, methods and analysis of this research has become fundamental to clinicans as well as to those designing and administering health benefits. I applaud Rola for offering this accessible guide which I hope will become as central to health professional’s education and practice as mainstream pharmacotherapeutics references have become.”
Dr. Lucinda Maine
Dr. Rola Kaakeh, author of “The Art of Pharmacoeconomics,” joined a diverse audience for three webinars to discuss her new book, why you should read it, and how to benefit from the concepts covered to improve healthcare decision-making.
The book is organized into three sections and seven chapters.
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Serves as a background and introduces the concept of healthcare resource allocation, value, decision-making, outcomes research, and pharmacoeconomics analyses.
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Goes through the process of designing, conducting, and evaluating pharmacoeconomics analyses. It also features information on how to go about building a team, whom you should consider working/or partnering with, and why. A Pharmacoeconomics Canvas is introduced and summarized.
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Provides information on abbreviations, references, index, and empty pages for notes.
This book is designed for students, residents, fellows, healthcare and public health professionals, and decision-makers.
Everyone, regardless of prior expertise or background in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research, would benefit from learning the skills and fundamentals taught in this book. Learning the art of pharmacoeconomics in the manner addressed in the book will help tell stories of impact through a more objective and evidence-based approach.
Dr. Erin Fox, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP
Senior Pharmacy Director
University of Utah
“The Art of Pharmacoeconomics by Dr. Rola Kaakeh is the perfect resource for those new to pharmacoeconomics. What is unique about this book, is the way Dr. Kaakeh breaks down the topics using easy to understand examples. The topics and chapters are divided into very manageable chunks with helpful tables and summaries. The section on designing, conducting, and evaluating pharmacoeconomics analyses should be of particular interest for pharmacy residents as well as residency program directors. Many projects are initiated without a well-thought-out design strategy. Dr. Kaakeh’s section on “researchers are designers” should be required reading for anyone in a health-system precasting or participating in projects. Dr. Kaakeh’s new book states it’s a “guide to getting started” and truly delivers on that promise.” Dr. Erin Fox
Readers can use the contents of the book, both in the classroom and in practice to:
Learn the discipline of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research
Conduct and evaluate pharmacoeconomics studies
Supplement existing pharmacoeconomics resources
Dr. Jan Hirsch, BS Pharm, PhD, FNAP
Founding Dean and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California, Irvinne
“In her book “The Art of Pharmacoeconomics”
Dr. Rola Kaakeh begins by providing a succinct overview of the basics of pharmacoeconomics analyses that will be useful to those new to the field. Beyond that however, Dr. Kaakeh tackles an area often overlooked that is of critical importance - the team of people who make the analyses happen. Since researchers make many key decisions while crafting the study design they are inextricably part of the ultimate study results. The thoughts and checklists in the first two chapters of section two (“Designing and Curating the Experience” and “Building the Team”) are not standard fare in pharmacoeconomic textbooks and thus broaden the applicability of the book’s content. Great resource for professionals in need of a primer on pharmacoeconomics, as well as those who are building or managing a team of researchers producing pharmacoeconomic analyses in any environment.” Dr. Jan Hirsch
About the Author
Dr. Rola Kaakeh founded and leads Salus Vitae Group, a company on a mission to strengthen the world’s health workforce. Her journey began as a pharmacist, providing her with invaluable insights into the complexities of public health and healthcare delivery. Over the past 20 years, she has collaborated with diverse organizations to drive positive change and improve health outcomes worldwide. She specializes in key areas critical to shaping healthcare's future, including health workforce development, medication access, healthcare decision-making, capacity building, and cost-containment strategies. She provides strategic guidance (grounded in both practical experience and academic insight) to public and private sector institutions, health systems, and NGOs such as the United Nations, universities, startups, and professional associations. In addition to her work in the field, she has served as a university faculty member at leading schools of pharmacy, medicine, and public health (including Northwestern University, University of Michigan, and the University of California, San Diego). She has contributed to numerous publications that address pressing healthcare challenges. Her research (cited more than 400 times) has shaped national policy, while her two books have sparked dialogue across disciplines. She began university at the age of 10 as a gifted child, later earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University and completing a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Kaakeh is an award-winning leader and sought-after expert who frequently inspires and shares her insights on global stages. Dr. Jack Iskander, PharmD, MBA, MHA, BCSCP
Director of Pharmacy, University of Chicago Medical Center, Residency Program Director - PGY2 Health System Pharmacy Leadership
“The Art of Pharmacoeconomics is a very well written text that will guide anyone from a 4th year pharmacy student to a seasoned Director on the basic principles of using pharmacoeconomics to interpret data in such a way that it tells a story. This is particularly useful when discussing outcomes with non-clinical executives. I have found that it’s not the smartest idea that will get funded, or the one that will help the most people. In healthcare, the ideas that have the best financial returns will get the most attention from the C-suite. Dr. Kaakeh has published a great read for anyone that is wanting to hone their pharmacoeconomic decision making skills, and improve their ability to set up research projects, in order to get more meaningful outcomes.”
Dr. Jack Iskander
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