Changing what the tree calculates - Enabling Payoffs and Calculating Extra Payoffs

17.5 Changing what the tree calculates - Enabling Payoffs and Calculating Extra Payoffs

Enabling Payoffs

TreeAge Pro supports any number of distinct payoffs sets (attributes) in a tree. By default, only two payoff sets are enabled, but this can be changed via the Payoffs Tree Preferences category.

In the Tree Preferences Payoffs options, you can:

Calculate extra payoffs: Check this box to calculate all enabled payoffs rather than calculating only the active payoffs for the Calculation Method. Calculating extra payoffs is described below.
Allow payoffs prior to terminal nodes: This is explained in the section Entering Upstream Payoffs Along Scenario Pathways.
Number of enabled payoffs: Select the number of payoff sets to enable within the model. For example, if you change the number of enabled payoffs to 4, then payoff sets 1 through 4 will be enabled.

Calculate extra payoffs

It is possible to calculate the tree and optimize at the decision node based on the current active payoff method and set(s), and in addition report expected values for other payoff sets. For example, you could roll back the tree based on minimizing costs in payoff #1, but also report expected values for some types of utility attributes which you have entered in payoffs #2 and up.

In the Payoffs Tree Preferences category, check the box labeled Calculate extra payoffs, and adjust the Enable payoffs setting to control how many extra payoff sets will be calculated.

If the option to "Calculate extra payoffs" is checked, extra payoffs are included in several analyses outputs.

Extra payoffs are reported in Rankings report in the last columns of the report. The column headings will use any custom payoff names given to the extra payoffs.
Extra payoffs are included in Monte Carlo simulation output and its secondary reports.
Extra payoffs are included in Markov Cohort Analysis (Quick) output.
Extra payoffs are also calculated in Sensitivity Analysis and reported from the dashboards.

It is important to note that when you activate calculation of extra payoffs, you must fill in the enabled payoff sets at all terminal nodes. This applies even though they are not specifically required by the current calculation method. For example, if you need payoffs #1 and #2 in the CE Analysis, but you also activate payoffs # 3 and #4 you need to assign these values (even if that value is "0").

Similarly, with Multi-attribute calculations, weight values must be specified for every enabled extra payoff. Use a 0 weight to exclude an extra attribute from the regular, weighted expected value calculation (this will not zero the extra payoff’s reported value).

To illustrate the Rankings Report with calculate extra payoffs enabled, consider the Healthcare tutorial example tree MarkovExtraPayoffs.trex.

This example has 5 payoffs enabled, including Cost and Effectiveness. The model is calculated using the active payoffs of Cost and Effectiveness but displays the additional 3 payoffs in the rankings report in the last 3 columns, as illustrated in the figure.

Note: To recreate this rankings report you need to ensure the Numeric Formatting is set correctly for the additional payoff sets. In the Tree Preferences > Calculation > Numeric Formatting, ensure that the decimal places for the additional payoffs are set to 3. You can edit units and other formatting in the same place.