Health Care Management

ADVANCE_HTA

Background

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is widely used to inform coverage decisions in an increasing number of countries in Europe and elsewhere. A high level of debate surrounding HTA and its limitations exists, giving rise to a number of significant challenges, which are addressed in this project. For example, there is significant need to consolidate methods on interventions other than pharmaceuticals, such as medical devices, and value assessment (a detailed list of related work packages can be found below).  Overall, with the fast uptake of HTAs in many countries, there is an urgent need to work in the direction of the European initiative, EUNetHTA, aiming, among other things, to improve methods and minimize duplication of assessments across countries.

Objectives

Overall, ADVANCE_HTA aims to broaden the spectrum, complement and address areas of intense methodological debate in the application, use and implementation of HTA. Further, it aims to bring about improvements in HTA methods, which can be taken further by competent authorities at national level whilst at the same time supplementing the work of supra-national bodies, such as EUnetHTA, towards a common understanding of choices in health care decision-making.

TU Berlin is the leading partner of work package (WP) 5, which aims at identifying areas where knowledge and tools are lacking regarding the assessment of medical devices. 

Methods

  • Taxonomy of existing classifications and nomenclatures of medical devices 
  • Systematic review to identify and compare current HTA methodologies, processes and practices across EU Member States and synthesis report 
  • Survey with HTA bodies to clarify and supplement earlier findings, and to trace methodological and procedural challenges and trends not captured in published evidence

Work Packages

WP1Assessing Value for Money
WP2Value Assessment of Health Technologies
WP3HTA and Rare Diseases
WP4HTA and Quality of Life Measurement
WP5HTA and Medical Devices
WP6Strengthening and implementing in emerging settings
WP7Potential implications: Lessons learnt, Policy recommendations
WP8Dissemination of Project Objectives and Results
WP9Coordination and Management

Partner

ADVANCE_HTA is funded under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme and involves thirteen partners:  

  • LSE Health (Coordinator): London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
  • LSHTM: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
  • ISS: National Centre for Rare Diseases, Rome, Italy
  • UCLM: University Castilla- La Mancha Faculty of Health Science, Ciudad Real, Spain
  • IER: Institute for Economic Research, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • EASP: Andalusian School of Public Health - University of Granada, Genada, Spain 
  • PAHO: Pan-American Health Organisation, Washington DC, USA
  • EBC: European Brain Council, Brussels, Belgium 
  • UPEC: University Paris-Est Créteil, Paris, FR
  • NICE Int: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence International, London, UK
  • AOTM: Health Technology Assessement Agency, Warsaw, Poland 
  • TLV: Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Board, Stockholm, Sweden 

Publications (peer-review) and Final report of WP5

Fuchs S, Olberg B, Perleth M, Busse R, Panteli D (2019): Testing a new taxonomic model for the assessment of medical devices: Is it plausible and applicable? Insights from HTA reports and interviews with HTA institutions in Europe. Health Policy; 123(2):173-181.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.03.004

Olberg B, Fuchs S, Panteli D, Perleth M, Busse R (2017): Scientific Evidence in Health Technology Assessment Reports: An In-Depth Analysis of European Assessments on High-Risk Medical Devices. Value in Health; 20(10):1420-1426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2017.05.011

Fuchs S, Olberg B, Panteli D, Perleth M, Busse R (2017): HTA of medical devices: Challenges and ideas for the future from a European perspective. Health Policy; 121(3):215-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2016.08.010

Fuchs S, Olberg B, Panteli D, Busse R (2016): Health Technology Assessment of medical devices in Europe: processes, methods and practices. Int J Technol Assess Health Care; 32(4):1-10. DOI:10.1017/S0266462316000349

Henschke C, Panteli D, Perleth M, Busse R (2015): A taxonomy of medical devices in the logic of HTA. International Journal of Health Technology Assessment. 31(5): 1−7.

ADVANCE_HTA, Work Package 5, Deliverable D5.2 (2015): HTA and Medical devices: Tracing methodological and procedural challenges and trends regarding HTA of Medical Devices: an analysis of HTA reports and survey with HTA institutions