Health technology assessment (HTA) is an established practice, conducted by many agencies and research organizations worldwide. Some variation in methods across organizations is necessary — it reflects local preferences and priorities. There is also significant value in evaluating new methods as an international community before they are considered for local implementation.

The Health Economics Methods Advisory (HEMA) group has been convened by the leaders of three HTA organizations to critically and independently examine and assess new methods and processes:

  • The USA-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER);
  • Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC);
  • England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

ICER’s Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Health Technology Assessment Methods and Engagement Dan Ollendorf, PhD, MPH will coordinate this effort in partnership with leaders at NICE and CDA.

HEMA aims to:

1. Convene an independent working group of methodologists, policy experts, and researchers dedicated to improving understanding of novel health economic methods and related decision-making processes within the context of HTA.

2. Coordinate the development of white papers, peer-reviewed publications, workshops, and seminars that focus on the conceptual and empirical applications of novel methods, assess their applicability and feasibility in HTA settings, and share research and policy perspectives with a broad set of HTA stakeholders.

3. Provide recommendations to the HTA community regarding adoption of novel methods, modifications that might be required, uncertainties in methods application, and suggestions for further research.

Sarah K. Emond, ICER’s President and CEO, MPP stated:

“Since our inception, ICER has been committed to methods development. We re-examine our Value Assessment Framework every few years, convene a Methods Advisory Group several times per year, and solicit feedback on our analyses and processes from stakeholders across the health system. Through HEMA, we hope to engage regularly with the international HTA community to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of new methods. And while implementation will vary across regions, this is an opportunity for the broader health economics community to critically examine and potentially pilot the feasibility of new approaches to HTA.”

HEMA will undertake independent assessments of some of the most pressing health economics methods topics, such as considerations of dynamic efficiency and dynamic pricing in economic models, use of novel or nontraditional value elements in cost-effectiveness analysis, integration of health equity considerations in quantitative analysis and deliberation, and more. The working group will include representatives from each of the three countries, with diversity in expertise and viewpoint. HEMA’s selection and prioritization of topics will also be guided by a separate Steering Committee, with representation from the patient, payer, and life sciences communities.

Visit this page regularly to receive updates on HEMA and Steering Committee membership as well as initial topics. In addition, as HEMA begins publishing new papers on HTA methods, we will include fully-accessible links to those documents and other dissemination vehicles below.

If you have any questions, please reach out to ICER’s Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Health Technology Assessment Methods and Engagement Dan Ollendorf, PhD, MPH.