Health economics

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Health Economic Publications Digest. In a recent publication, van den Broek-Altenburg et al. reviewed 20–25 years of economic value assessment approaches in healthcare, highlighting the growing focus on individual preferences over broad societal metrics in value-based care models. The study underscores the complexities of incorporating patient-specific preferences into economic evaluations, and addresses recognized limitations of QALY measures. The authors discussed emerging alternative valuation frameworks that could influence future policy and reimbursement decision-making.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Health Economic Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Donovan et al. conducted a qualitative interview study with 16 experts to investigate the gaps in capturing implementation costs within economic evaluations. The study revealed four key barriers: difficulties in defining, collecting, and valuing implementation costs; the lack of standardized methodologies; and the lack of multidisciplinary collaboration in enabling implementation costing. The authors advocated for standardized approaches to implementation cost estimation, emphasizing that improved methodologies could enhance confidence in economic assessments and better inform resource allocation.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Health Economic Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Cocco et al. applied early economic modeling to establish target product profile specifications based on cost-effectiveness considerations, helping developers define key test performance criteria. The authors used the example of a novel rapid diagnostic for Clostridioides difficile infection in the UK setting. The study underscores how well-defined target product profiles can guide diagnostic test development to address pressing clinical needs.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Health Economic Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Tornvall et al. conducted a systematic review of 12 economic evaluations of mHealth interventions for type 2 diabetes management. Most solutions ‒ featuring smartphone applications with text messaging and connected medical devices ‒ were generally deemed cost-effective or cost-saving. However, the authors highlighted moderate reporting quality, with a median CHEERS score of 59%. Methodological heterogeneity in outcome reporting further limits the overall robustness and comparability of the evidence for decision-makers.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Health Economic Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Fanshawe et al. systematically reviewed statistical methods for analyzing the performance of sequential diagnostic testing. The authors addressed five key themes: methods for combining tests, estimation of conditional dependence, repeated testing for risk assessment, adjustment for an imperfect reference standard, and meta-analysis of test sequences. This review offers methodological insights that enhance the precision and reliability of diagnostic evaluations.

In December 2024, the Austrian Institute for HTA published a project report on the threshold values in health economic evaluations and decision-making. It concluded that, despite their complexity, implementing thresholds could enhance transparency and efficiency in health systems.

In January 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (ZIN) published an update of the “Guideline for conducting health economic evaluations”.

On December 04, 2023, the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency initiated its work on a few more health economic assessments of Sedaconda-ACD by Sedana Medical, a disposable product for administering anesthetic gases for patients treated on a ventilator and an alternative to intravenous anesthetics as well as robotic systems for spine surgery, including ExcelsiusGPS by Globus Medical, Mazor X Stealth by Medtronic, Cirq by Brainlab. The assessments are planned to be accomplished during 2024.

Market access eventually comes down to the hospital or individual payer level. Interactive digital tools are the essential instrument to present the value of medical technologies. MTRC launched a service of digital health economic models to present the clinical and economic value of medical technologies to hospital administrators and payers. MTRC combines an unparalleled knowledge of market access realities, drivers and barriers to the adoption of medical technologies, costing for healthcare services in 34 European countries, health economic technical expertise, and the capacity to develop nice-looking digital presentation tools at a moderate cost. See a live demo of the digital model on the website.

On November 07, 2023, the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV) accomplished its work on health economic assessments of Intellis and WaveWriter Alpha – spinal cord stimulation systems used for the treatment of long-term, intractable pain. Overall, TLV assesses that the results uncertainty level is high.

In late June 2023, the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Center (KCE) published a report on relevance of transversal budget impact analysis. This type of analysis should be submitted as part of the application to the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) to obtain reimbursement for implants and invasive medical devices.

MTRC is the leading provider of market access services in Europe. Since 2017 we have accomplished 700+ projects in Europe. We provide regular consulting services to 56% of top 30 med tech companies and multiple SMEs. The typical scope of model adaptation includes adjustment of epidemiological data, validation of comparator, an adaptation of resource use and cost data, and search for local utility data. MTRC has a unique ability to work on model adaptations due to its unparalleled knowledge of payment systems in 34 European countries. We worked on model adaptations in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.