Alexandria, VA — April 12, 2021 — The Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI) — a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science, practice, and use of value assessment in healthcare — today published the initial scope of its Open-Source Value Project Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) economic model. The scope document will be open for public comment until May 14.

Developed with input from IVI’s multi-stakeholder MDD Model Advisory Group and literature reviews, the scope describes the overarching model objectives, key assumptions, and preliminary specifications of IVI’s MDD model. It also delineates the specific considerations that will be evaluated and confirmed as the model protocol is developed, which is the next stage in IVI’s model development.

In is call for public comment, IVI requests interested stakeholders to “provide recommendations on the most important factors to build into the model, as well as insights on how to incorporate novel data elements.” Specifically, IVI seeks feedback in three areas:

  • Assumptions and data elements for inclusion in the initial model design
  • Factors most important to include in the model
  • Specific use cases to be built into the first edition of the model

“Feedback and input on the initial scope is foundational to which components MDD model should consider,” said Rick Chapman, PhD, IVI’s Chief Science Officer. “We look forward to working with our patient leaders, our advisory group, and other stakeholders to build a patient-centric economic model, one that helps decision-makers better understand the comparative value of different treatment options for MDD.”

As a laboratory for testing new methods and approaches to value assessment, IVI launched a multi-year initiative last year to build and test an open-source model to help evaluate pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic healthcare interventions indicated for MDD. The nonprofit’s objective in developing models through its Open-Source Value Project (OSVP) moves beyond producing a single model with a specific set of estimates. Rather, OSVP initiatives explore and test methods to improve how economic models are developed to assess value, improve alignment with real-world decision needs, and advance dialogue about how best to use economic assessments to link value to resource use in healthcare.

IVI’s MDD model scope document can be accessed here.

Public comments are due by May 14. Comments may be submitted in PDF form on institutional letterhead to public.comment@thevalueinitiative.org, or interested parties can complete an online survey to answer the questions posed within the scoping document. All comments received will be made available on the IVI website, in keeping with the organization’s dedication to full transparency in its research.

Get a copy of the full press release here.

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About the Innovation and Value Initiative
The Innovation and Value Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit committed to advancing the science, practice, and use of value assessment in healthcare to make it more meaningful to those who receive, provide, and pay for care. Governed by a Board of Directors with significant input from its Patient Advisory Council and Scientific Advisory Panel, IVI invests in research that emphasizes patient perspectives on value and strives to improve the flexibility and application of value assessment methods and models. IVI work is delivered in an open-source environment that fosters collaborative, dynamic exploration and testing, and provides creative, common-good resources to support healthcare decision-making. To learn more, visit www.thevalueinitiative.org.