Modeling the cost-effectiveness of doubling atorvastatin's dose versus adding niacin ER

Decision-analytic models are useful tools that are helpful in making formulary decisions and comparing treatment pathways, especially when a level of uncertainty exists as to which clinical strategy is most appropriate for patients with a given health state. The purpose of this article is to provide an example of how a decision-analysis model is designed and interpreted for the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD). A step-by-step approach to conducting decision analysis is presented so that readers can apply this technique in their own practice settings.