DAM exacts a large burden on American society. Therefore, improved diagnosis and management of community-based DAM to alleviate this burden are needed.

BACKGROUND: COPD is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Patients with COPD are at a high risk of nutritional defi ciency, which is associated with declines in respiratory function, lean body mass and strength, and immune function. Although oral nutritional supplementation (ONS ) has been associated with improvements in some of these domains, the impact of hospital ONS on readmission risk, length of stay (LOS), and cost among hospitalized patients is unknown.

ONS use was associated with lower LOS and episode cost among pediatric inpatients. ONS use in hospitalized pediatric patients may provide a cost-effective, evidence-based approach to improving pediatric hospital care.

Disease-associated malnutrition (DAM) is a well-recognized problem in many countries, but the extent of its burden on the Chinese population is unclear. This article reports the results of a burden-of-illness study on DAM in 15 diseases in China. Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the China Health and Nutrition Survey, and the published literature, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost because of DAM were calculated; a financial value of this burden was calculated following WHO guidelines. DALYs lost annually to DAM in China varied across diseases, from a low of 2248 in malaria to a high of 1 315 276 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The total burden was 6.1 million DALYs, for an economic burden of US$66 billion (Chinese ¥ 447 billion) annually. This burden is sufficiently large to warrant immediate attention from public health officials and medical providers, especially given that low-cost and effective interventions are available.

The Innovation and Value Initiative started the Open-Source Value Project with the aim to improve the credibility and relevance of model-based value assessment in the context of the US healthcare environment. As a core activity of the Open-Source Value Project, the Innovation and Value Initiative develops and provides access to flexible open-source economic models that are developed iteratively based on public feedback and input. In this article, we describe our experience to date with the development of two currently released, Open-Source Value Project models, one in rheumatoid arthritis and one in epidermal growth factor receptor-positive non-small-cell lung cancer. We developed both Open-Source Value Project models using the statistical programming language R instead of spreadsheet software (i.e., Excel), which allows the models to capture multiple model structures, model sequential treatment with individual patient simulations, and improve integration with formal evidence synthesis. By developing the models in R, we were also able to use version control systems to manage changes to the source code, which is needed for iterative and collaborative model development. Similarly, Open-Source Value Project models are freely available to the public to provide maximum transparency and facilitate collaboration. Development of the rheumatoid arthritis and non-small-cell lung cancer model platforms has presented multiple challenges. The development of multiple components of the model platform tailored to different audiences, including web interfaces, required more resources than a cost-effectiveness analysis for a publication would. Furthermore, we faced methodological hurdles, in particular related to the incorporation of multiple competing model structures and novel elements of value. The iterative development based on public feedback also posed some challenges during the review phase, where methodological experts did not always understand feedback from clinicians and vice versa. Response to the Open-Source Value Project by the modeling community and patient organizations has been positive, but feedback from US decision makers has been limited to date. As we progress with this project, we hope to learn more about the feasibility, benefits, and challenges of an open-source and collaborative approach to model development for value assessment.