Introduction to economic evaluation and health technology assessment

Health technology assessment (HTA) is a recognized paradigm used worldwide to support funding, coverage, reimbursement, and, recently, procurement decisions globally. In its bare essence, the HTA paradigm supports systematic generation and collection of the evidence to understand the value of new and existing technologies in order to inform decision-making, at different levels, in health care. HTA appraisals are commonly structured around several dimensions ranging from the health problem addressed, the technology’s safety and effectiveness profiles, and its value for money to other aspects related to the expected organizational, ethical, social, and legal issues associated with the use of the technology within the health system. Several countries have adopted a formal and structured process for the HTA of innovative health technologies including initial identification and priority setting, the methods and processes for the assessment and appraisal phases, and final dissemination of results and translation into policy.