Gothia Forum has initiated a project with actors in the Västra Götaland Region, Sahlgrenska Academy, Region Skåne and AstraZeneca to produce a model for cooperation regarding health-finance analyses for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The aim is to gain more knowledge of how costs for medical care and sick leave associated with COPD can be reduced without affecting the quality of the care provided. “The cross-functional representation in this project is completely unique,” says Björn Strandsäter, Regional Sales Manager at AstraZeneca.

COPD is a widespread disease which is currently under-diagnosed, with only 20 % of those affected by it being actually diagnosed and treated. Data from a Swedish population study show that the annual cost for COPD is SEK 9.1 billion, so there are substantial savings to be made both in medical care and public costs in general. The role of health-finance is to show where deficiencies lie in health and medical care services and what interventions should be taken. 

The model involves collecting data from regional and national registers. In this case, for example, from VEGA, West Götaland Region’s overall database for care provided, the Respiratory Passages Register, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and Statistics Sweden. With this data as a basis, different future scenarios can be simulated to show how different interventions affect the extra socio-economic costs of COPD. It is intended to apply this model later to other areas that could benefit from the same type of analysis. 

The project involves industry, medical care and academia

Through the model of cooperation, large data sets are simplified and made available for the different actors, and they are also able to organise their own investigations. For example, AstraZeneca wants to examine comorbidity with COPD, or what other diseases are suffered at the same time, and what health-finance effects pharmaceutical interventions may bring about.

 “The data available from the project gives us the opportunity of examining the area of COPD from several very interesting angles, not least from a health-finance perspective. For us as a company, it is important to establish cooperation with leading regional researchers and open up channels for more regional partnerships,” says Bjorn Strandsäter.