Emerging methods in economic modeling of imaging costs and outcomes: A short report on discrete event simulation

Rationale and Objectives. This short report provides a non-technical overview of one emerging modeling technique, discrete event simulation (DES). Methods. A selective review of the literature that has applied DES methods to evaluate imaging technologies. Results. Mathematical models to evaluate the likely costs and outcomes of health technologies have become increasingly accepted. Increasing experience has also brought a mounting awareness of the limitations of conventional modeling techniques such as decision trees and Markov processes. Patient-level simulation, including DES, may provide a more flexible approach to modeling for economic evaluation of health technologies. Conclusions. The strengths of DES suggest that it may have an increasingly important role in the future modeling of annual screening programs, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic recurrent disease and modeling the utilization of imaging equipment.