Unmet NeedComputational modeling can serve as the virtual library to assist funders, policy-makers, and disease control officials in evaluating the potential value of disease control interventions. In 2010, it cost nearly $1.4 trillion for cardiovascular disease and diabetes globally. The U.S. potential annual savings on healthcare costs is estimated to reach $303 billion by 2023 if preventative evidence-based approaches are used. Decision makers currently rely on spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel, and must complete additional analyses and explore various financial models. Using predictive models would address disease prevention by saving times, money, and effort. In the past, similar models have been used in modelling retail, transportation, aerospace and the military. The value of implementing disease intervention models, such as JANUS, would be beneficial to the policy-makers, insurance companies, and healthcare providers.
Technology OverviewJANUS software platform connects economic, operations, and healthcare models to disease transmission models. The software is written in Python/Django and meant to provide modeling over intervention portfolios in public health. JANUS aims to combine and optimize product/intervention development with portfolio management. JANUS will consider the mortality, morbidity, cost, and return-on-investment to find the optimal set of measurable characteristics and provide comparisons between model predictions. Through JANUS, the user can choose a previously constructed scenarios and intervention portfolios, or create their own. The scenarios include locations of interest, potential interventions, disease and health system modifications, transmission models, and the ability to review and adjust characteristics of existing portfolios. The JANUS model allows the user to compare and store different portfolios of interventions that can assist in their decisions.
Stage of DevelopmentThe inventors have completed their conceptions, design, and written description. They are currently in the process of completing the model for use.
PublicationsNA
