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Benchmarking health technology assessment agencies—methodological challenges and recommendations

Part of: Special Collection - Methods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2020

Ting Wang Open the ORCID record for Ting Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Iga Lipska ,
Neil McAuslane ,
Lawrence Liberti ,
Anke Hövels  and
Hubert Leufkens
Ting Wang*
Affiliation:
Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science, London, UK Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Iga Lipska
Affiliation:
Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science, London, UK Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Neil McAuslane
Affiliation:
Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science, London, UK
Lawrence Liberti
Affiliation:
Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science, London, UK
Anke Hövels
Affiliation:
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Hubert Leufkens
Affiliation:
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
*
Author for correspondence: Ting Wang, E-mail: twang@cirsci.org
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Abstract

Objectives

The objectives of the study were to establish a benchmarking tool to collect metrics to enable increased clarity regarding the differences and similarities across health technology assessment (HTA) agencies, to assess performance within and across HTA agencies, identify areas in the HTA processes in which time is spent and to enable ongoing performance improvement.

Methods

Common steps and milestones in the HTA process were identified for meaningful benchmarking among agencies. A benchmarking tool consisting of eighty-six questions providing information on HTA agency organizational aspects and information on individual new medicine review timelines and outcomes was developed with the input of HTA agencies and validated in a pilot study. Data on 109 HTA reviews from five HTA agencies were analyzed to demonstrate the utility of this tool.

Results

This study developed an HTA benchmarking methodology, comparative metrics showed considerable differences among the median timelines from assessment and appraisal to final HTA recommendation for the five agencies included in this analysis; these results were interpreted in conjunction with agency characteristics.

Conclusions

It is feasible to find consensus among HTA agencies regarding the common milestones of the review process to map jurisdiction-specific processes against agreed metrics. Data on characteristics of agencies such as their scope and remit enabled results to be interpreted in the appropriate local context. This benchmarking tool has promising potential utility to improve the transparency of the review process and to facilitate both quality assurance and performance improvement in HTA agencies.

Keywords

Health technology assessmentBenchmarking toolMedicines
Type
Method
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 36 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 332 - 348
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

Now with National Health Fund, Warsaw, Poland.

**

Now an independent researcher, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

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