The Denver school-based adolescent hepatitis B vaccination program: a cost analysis with risk simulation.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare the cost-effectiveness of a school-based hepatitis B vaccine delivery program with that of a vaccine delivery program associated with a network health maintenance organization (HMO). METHODS: The vaccination program enrolled 3359 sixth-grade students from 18 middle schools in Denver, Colo. Immunization status and direct and indirect program costs were compiled. The sensitivity of the outcomes was assessed by simulation methods. RESULTS: The per-dose cost-effectiveness ratio for the school-based delivery system was $31. This cost-effectiveness ratio remained stable when the model was simulated with costs that were underestimated or overestimated by 20%. In the network HMO, the direct cost per dose was $68 and the societal cost was $118 when the child's father worked full-time and the mother worked part-time. There is less than a 5% chance that the network HMO-based vaccination program could be more cost-effective than the school-based program. CONCLUSIONS: The cost per dose of the school-based program was significantly less than that of the network HMO-based program, because in the school program government-purchased vaccine was available at a lower cost and parents did not incur work-loss costs.

Latex allergy: implementation of an agency program.

Allergy to latex has been increasing in both the healthcare consumer and healthcare provider populations over the past decade. Realizing that sensitivity/allergy to latex is an issue for both patients and staff, the authors created an interdisciplinary task force to address latex safety in a healthcare agency that provides care within inpatient, public health, and outpatient settings. In this article, the authors discuss allergic response to latex and testing for latex sensitivity as well as latex allergy in the general population, among patient populations, and among healthcare providers. The authors outline the development of a latex-free product cart, an agency policy and procedure, and staff and patient education strategies.