title: A preference-based measure of health: the VR-6D derived from the veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) is currently the major endpoint used in the Medicare managed care outcomes measure in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS(®)), referred to as the Health Outcomes Survey (HOS). The purpose of this study is to adapt the Brazier SF-6D utility measure to the VR-12 to generate a single utility index.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the HOS cohorts 2 and 3 for SF-36 data and 9 for VR-12 data. We calculated SF-6D scores from the SF-36 using the algorithms developed by Brazier and colleagues. The values of the Brazier SF-6D were used to estimate utility scores from the VR-12 using a mapping approach based on a 2-stage mapping procedure, named as VR-6D.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VR-6D derived from the VR-12 has similar distributional properties as the SF-6D. The change in VR-6D showed significant variations across disease groups with different levels of morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study produced a utility measure for the VR-12 that is comparable to the SF-6D and responsive to change. The VR-6D can be used in evaluations of health care plans and cost-effectiveness analysis to compare the health gains that health care interventions can achieve.
authors.affiliation: The Center for the Assessment of Pharmaceutical Practices, Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, T3 W, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Alfredo J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Selim
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Shirley X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brazier
authors.forename: Lewis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kazis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology