About hēRo3
Welcome to hēRo3, the new application that lets you build, run, and share cost-effectiveness models online using a web browser. hēRo3 currently supports both Markov state-transition ('cohort') models as well as partitioned-survival models. hēRo3 performs all of its calculations using an open-source R modeling package called hēRomod. By combining the presentation capabilities of modern web technologies with the analytical power of the R programming language, hēRo3 makes it easy to build robust and visually engaging health-economics models in a fraction of the time that it would take to build the same models in other software applications, such as Microsoft Excel. Also, with hēRo3, you can securely share a model with others and be confident that only persons whom you have authorized can access and use it.
Accessing hēRo3
You must be a registered user to access hēRo3. If you are a full-time student or faculty member, you may register without charge. Complimentary academic licenses may be used only for educational or research (ie, noncommercial) purposes. If you are a full-time student or faculty member and would like to register to use hēRo3, you may do so here. Governmental and nonprofit organizations also may request free access by contacting us at hero3info@pai2.com.
Logging into hēRo3
You must log into hēRo3 using your organization's login page (full-time students and faculty members access the academic login page), enter your username and password, complete the 'Captcha', and then click 'Login'. hēRo3 then will take you to a screen where you will need to enter an authentication code. hēRo3 uses two-factor authentication at every login to confirm your identify, using the e-mail address that you provided when you registered. Look in your Inbox for the email from the hēRo3 system, enter the code provided into the box on the authentication screen, and click 'Verify'. Authentication codes expire in 10 minutes. If your code has expired, you must start the login process again.
User Roles & Permissions
User accounts on the hēRo3 platform can be assigned 'roles' which determine their permission on the platform. The most important role to know about is the 'modeler' role, which grants the user the ability to create new models and make structural changes to existing models. A complete listing of user roles in the hēRo3 application can be found here. Please note that, when accessing a shared model, permissions may be further restricted based on the permissions granted to you by the sender. To see your role, click on the user menu by clicking the 
icon in the toolbar at the top right of the screen.
Using the hēRo3 Workspace
After you login, the hēRo3 Workspace is the first screen that you will see. From this page, you can create new models (if you have Modeler privileges), open and manage existing models, share models with other users, view models that have been shared with you, and browse various hēRo3 model templates.
Viewing a hēRo3 Model
To open a hēRo3 model, go to the 'Your Models', 'Shared with Me', or 'Templates' section of the hēRo3 Workspace and click on the model that you would like to open. Once you have opened the model, you can navigate to the different pages of the model using the navigation bar on the left side of the screen. For more information on viewing and editing models, see here.
Creating a New hēRo3 Model
To build a new model, click on either the 'Markov Cohort' button or the 'Partitioned Survival' button in the New Models section of the hēRo3 Workspace. You will then be taken to the hēRo3 Model Editor, where you can start building your model. You can find further instructions on how to build a model in hēRo3 here. Please note that you must be a Modeler to create new models.
Errors in a hēRo3 Model
When a model fails to run, a red error message will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. A list of common error messages and what they mean can be found here.