Today, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has launched a public consultation on updated guidelines for conducting economic evaluation and budget impact analysis in health technology assessments (HTAs).

In Ireland, HTAs are used to help decide which health technologies (such as drugs, medical tests, medical devices, surgeries, healthcare reorganisation) should be funded and used in the public health and social care system. 

HIQA updates the national HTA guidelines to ensure they incorporate the most up-to-date and relevant scientific information, based on research and experience both nationally and internationally.

Dr Máirín Ryan, HIQA's Deputy CEO and Director of Health Technology Assessment said: “Economic evaluation and budget impact analysis are often conducted as part of a HTA. An economic evaluation compares the costs and benefits of different choices to see which one is the best use of resources, whereas a budget impact analysis helps decision-makers understand how much a new technology will cost and how it will affect the overall budget.

“These guidelines explain how economic evaluation and budget impact analysis in HTA should be conducted in Ireland. We developed these guidelines with the support of our HTA Scientific Advisory Group, which comprises patients, researchers, policy-makers, health technology developers, doctors and other experts. Their input is crucial in ensuring that the guidelines are fit-for-purpose and of high quality, which in turn helps inform health policy decision-making and support safer, better healthcare.”

HIQA has published these draft updated guidelines to give members of the public an opportunity to provide feedback on the content. A survey and details of how to take part in the consultation are available on HIQA’s website. The consultation will remain open until 5pm on Monday, 2 December 2024.

Following the public consultation, the guidelines will be updated as necessary and published on the HIQA website, together with a statement of outcomes document reflecting feedback received during the consultation.

ENDS

Further information: 
Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
085 805 5202 / mwhelan@hiqa.ie

Notes to Editor:

• HIQA has today published the following documents for public consultation to inform a periodic update:
  • Draft national guidelines for the economic evaluation of health technologies in Ireland
  • Draft national guidelines for budget impact analysis of health technologies in Ireland
• HIQA has a statutory remit to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of health technologies, and provide advice to the Minister for Health and to the Health Service Executive. Findings of a HTA may have implications for other key stakeholders in the Irish healthcare system, such as patient groups, the general public, clinicians, other healthcare providers, academic groups, and health technology developers.
• Manufacturers seeking to have their drugs reimbursed in Ireland may be required to submit a HTA dossier to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) following commissioning of a full HTA by the HSE Corporate Pharmaceutical Unit (HSE-CPU). The national HTA guidelines also apply to this process. You can read more about the NCPE here.
• HTA guideline documents provide an overview of the principles and methods used in assessing health technologies. These are intended as a guide for everyone who is involved in the conduct or use of HTA in Ireland, promoting the production of assessments that are timely, reliable, consistent and relevant to the needs of decision-makers and key stakeholders in Ireland.
• The suite of national HTA guidelines published by HIQA are available here.