Understanding the use of health technology assessment across the globe

Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR- the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, announced today the publication of a series of articles investigating the use of health technology assessment (HTA) in healthcare decision making across the globe. The series, "HTA Around the World- Influences of Culture, Values, and Institutions," appears in the January 2020 issue of Value in Health.

Aleksandra Torbica, PhD, Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy, served as the Guest Editor for this themed section. In her introductory editorial entitled, "HTA Around the World: Broadening Our Understanding of Cross-Country Differences," Dr Torbica provides historical perspective, sets the context for the series, and introduces the other 7 articles in the special collection:

1. The Emerging Social Science Literature on Health Technology Assessment: A Narrative Review by Olga Löblová, Trayan Trayanov, Marcell Csanádi, Piotr Ozierański
2. Differences in Health Technology Assessment Recommendations Among European Jurisdictions: The Role of Practice Variations by Rick A. Vreman, Aukje K. Mantel-Teeuwisse, Anke M. Hövels, Hubert G.M. Leufkens, Wim G. Goettsch
3. Do Social Values and Institutional Context Shape the Use of Economic Evaluation in Reimbursement Decisions? An Empirical Analysis by Aleksandra Torbica, Giulia Fornaro, Rosanna Tarricone, Michael F. Drummond
4. Economic Evaluation for Pricing and Reimbursement of New Drugs in Spain: Fable or Desideratum? by Juan Oliva-Moreno, Jaume Puig-Junoy, Marta Trapero-Bertran, David Epstein, Carme Pinyol, and José Antonio Sacristán
5. Increasing the Legitimacy of Tough Choices in Healthcare Reimbursement: Approach and Results of a Citizen Forum in The Netherlands by Leon Bijlmakers, Maarten Jansen, Bert Boer, et al
6. Role of Culture, Values, and Politics in the Implementation of Health Technology Assessment in India: A Commentary by Shilpi Swami and Tushar Srivastava
7. Formal Implementation of Cost-Effectiveness Evaluations in Japan: A Unique Health Technology Assessment System by Masataka Hasegawa, Shigekazu Komoto, Takeru Shiroiwa, and Takashi Fukuda

Dr Torbica notes that the insights provided in these articles provide a novel agenda not only to researchers interested in understanding the factors behind the differences in attitudes to HTA and economic evaluation across countries, but also to policy makers concerned with expanding the use of these tools in decision making.

This themed section adds to the literature investigating the use of HTA in healthcare decision making by drawing insights from different disciplines and exploring innovative approaches to move the research forward. It includes a mixture of empirical papers, health policy analyses, and commentaries that shed light on the complexity of the matter while broadening our understanding of cross-country differences in the use of HTA around the world."

Dr. Aleksandra Torbica, Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy