1
|
Razvi Y, Horwitz SL, Cressman C, Wang DE, Shaul RZ, Denburg A. Priority-setting for hospital funding of high-cost innovative drugs and therapeutics: A qualitative institutional case study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300519. [PMID: 38498497 PMCID: PMC10947676 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rising costs of innovative drugs and therapeutics (D&Ts) have led to resource allocation challenges for healthcare institutions. There is limited evidence to guide priority-setting for institutional funding of high-cost D&Ts. This study sought to identify and elaborate on the substantive principles and procedures that should inform institutional funding decisions for high-cost off-formulary D&Ts through a case study of a quaternary care paediatric hospital. METHODS Semi-structured, qualitative interviews, both virtual and in-person, were conducted with institutional stakeholders (i.e. staff clinicians, senior leadership, and pharmacists) (n = 23) and two focus groups at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. Participants involved in, and impacted by, high-cost off-formulary drug funding decisions were recruited through stratified, purposive sampling. Participants were approached for study involvement between July 27, 2020 and June 7, 2022. Data was analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS Institutional resource allocation for high-cost D&Ts was identified as ethically challenging but critical to sustainable access to novel therapies. Important substantive principles included: 1) clinical evidence of safety and efficacy, 2) economic considerations (direct costs, opportunity costs, value for money), 3) ethical principles (social justice, professional/organizational responsibility), and 4) disease-specific considerations. Multidisciplinary deliberation was identified as an essential procedural component of decision-making. Participants identified tension between innovation and the need for evidence-based decision-making; clinician and institutional responsibilities; and value for money and social justice. Participants emphasized the role of health system-level funding allocation in alleviating the financial and moral burden of decision-making by institutions. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies values and processes to aid in the development and implementation of institutional resource allocation frameworks for high-cost innovative D&Ts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasmeen Razvi
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- SickKids Research Institute, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Simonne L. Horwitz
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Celine Cressman
- SickKids Research Institute, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel E. Wang
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Randi Zlotnik Shaul
- SickKids Research Institute, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Avram Denburg
- SickKids Research Institute, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang M, Yang Y, Bao Y, Kimber M, Levine M, Xie F. Scoring the Value Assessment Framework for China: A Factorial Survey. VALUE IN HEALTH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOECONOMICS AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH 2024; 27:330-339. [PMID: 38135215 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2023.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to develop the scoring functions for the recently developed value assessment framework (VAF) for China, which comprises 12 attributes. METHODS We implemented a factorial survey among Chinese healthcare stakeholders from July to September 2022. A total of 240 hypothetical drug value profiles described by the VAF were grouped into 60 blocks and randomly assigned to respondents. Each respondent was assigned with 1 block, each presented in 3 disease scenarios of different levels of severity. For each profile, respondents were asked to assess the drug's value on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest) and make 1 of the 3 insurance recommendations: cover, to be negotiated for coverage, or reject. Linear and logistic mixed-effects models were used to develop scoring functions for aggregating the value attributes. RESULTS A total of 365 respondents participated in the survey. 3968 responses from 331 respondents were included in the analysis. Most of the included respondents were under 45 (n = 256, 77.3%), females (n = 208, 62.8%), living in urban areas (n = 296, 89.4%), and with a bachelor's degree or higher (n = 303, 91.5%). Health benefits and safety carried more weights than other attributes in the scoring functions across disease scenarios. The value and probability of entering negotiation or receiving insurance coverage for the attribute profiles for severe/critical disease were higher than for mild/moderate disease. CONCLUSIONS The scoring functions of the VAF can be used to assess the value of a drug and its probability of entering negotiation or receiving insurance coverage in China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Zhang
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Yi Yang
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Bao
- Institute of Clinical Research and Evidence Based Medicine, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Melissa Kimber
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Mitchell Levine
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Feng Xie
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang DE, Hassanein M, Razvi Y, Shaul RZ, Denburg A. Institutional Priority-Setting for Novel Drugs and Therapeutics: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:7494. [PMID: 38618836 PMCID: PMC11016276 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2024.7494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a lack of guidance on approaches to formulary management and funding for high-cost drugs and therapeutics by individual healthcare institutions. The objective of this review was to assess institutional approaches to resource allocation for such therapeutics, with a particular focus on paediatric and rare disease populations. METHODS A search of Embase and MEDLINE was conducted for studies relevant to decision-making for off-formulary, high-cost drugs and therapeutics. Abstracts were evaluated for inclusion based on the Simple Multiple-Attribute Rating Techniques (SMART) criteria. A framework of 30 topics across 4 categories was used to guide data extraction and was based on findings from the initial abstract review and previous health technology assessment (HTA) publications. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted using QSR NVivo 12 software. RESULTS A total of 168 studies were included for analysis. Only 4 (2%) focused on paediatrics, while 21 (12%) centred on adults and the remainder (85%) did not specify. Thirty-two (19%) studies discussed the importance of high-cost therapeutics and 34 (23%) focused on rare/orphan drugs. Five themes were identified as being relevant to institutional decision-making for high-cost therapeutics: institutional strategy, substantive criteria, procedural considerations, guiding principles and frameworks, and operational activities. Each of these themes encompassed several sub-themes and was complemented by a sixth category specific to paediatrics and rare diseases. CONCLUSION The rising cost of novel drugs and therapeutics underscores the need for robust, evidence-based, and ethically defensible decision-making processes for health technology funding, particularly at the hospital level. Our study highlights practices and themes to aid decision-makers in thinking critically about institutional, substantive, procedural, and operational considerations in support of legitimate decisions about institutional funding of high-cost drugs and therapeutics, as well as opportunities and challenges that exist for paediatric and rare disease populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Wang
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maram Hassanein
- Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yasmeen Razvi
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Randi Zlotnik Shaul
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Avram Denburg
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ahumada-Canale A, Jeet V, Bilgrami A, Seil E, Gu Y, Cutler H. Barriers and facilitators to implementing priority setting and resource allocation tools in hospital decisions: A systematic review. Soc Sci Med 2023; 322:115790. [PMID: 36913838 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Health care budgets in high-income countries are having issues coping with unsustainable growth in demand, particularly in the hospital setting. Despite this, implementing tools systematising priority setting and resource allocation decisions has been challenging. This study answers two questions: (1) what are the barriers and facilitators to implementing priority setting tools in the hospital setting of high-income countries? and (2) what is their fidelity? A systematic review using the Cochrane methods was conducted including studies of hospital-related priority setting tools reporting barriers or facilitators for implementation, published after the year 2000. Barriers and facilitators were classified using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Fidelity was assessed using priority setting tool's standards. Out of thirty studies, ten reported program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA), twelve multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), six health technology assessment (HTA) related frameworks, and two, an ad hoc tool. Barriers and facilitators were outlined across all CFIR domains. Implementation factors not frequently observed, such as 'evidence of previous successful tool application', 'knowledge and beliefs about the intervention' or 'external policy and incentives' were reported. Conversely, some constructs did not yield any barrier or facilitator including 'intervention source' or 'peer pressure'. PBMA studies satisfied the fidelity criteria between 86% and 100%, for MCDA it varied between 36% and 100%, and for HTA it was between 27% and 80%. However, fidelity was not related to implementation. This study is the first to use an implementation science approach. Results represent the starting point for organisations wishing to use priority setting tools in the hospital setting by providing an overview of barriers and facilitators. These factors can be used to assess readiness for implementation or to serve as the foundation for process evaluations. Through our findings, we aim to improve the uptake of priority setting tools and support their sustainable use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Ahumada-Canale
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| | - Varinder Jeet
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| | - Anam Bilgrami
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| | - Elizabeth Seil
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| | - Yuanyuan Gu
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| | - Henry Cutler
- Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie Business School & Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 5, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, 2109, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ryczek E, Peirce SC, Knight L, Cleves A, Champion A, Doull I, Lewis S. A Case Study on Reviewing Specialist Services Commissioning in Wales: TAVI for Severe Aortic Stenosis. APPLIED HEALTH ECONOMICS AND HEALTH POLICY 2022; 20:487-499. [PMID: 35211878 PMCID: PMC9206921 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-021-00692-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) is responsible for planning, commissioning and funding specialised healthcare in Wales. Investment in new technologies or services is based on clinical and economic evidence, using a consistent and transparent process. This is accomplished in three stages. The first stage is the preparation of a rapid evidence review. This then informs the development or update of the relevant Commissioning Policy. The final stage is to prioritise the Commissioning Policy recommendations against all other new services and interventions, to inform WHSSC's annual commissioning intentions. In 2017, a review was conducted of the WHSSC Commissioning Policy for transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis. Prior to this only high-risk patients were eligible for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The rapid evidence review identified three randomised controlled trials and two economic analyses relevant to the decision problem. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation was generally found to be more expensive and more effective than medical management or surgical aortic valve replacement, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios around £10,500-£36,000 for inoperable groups and £17,000-£24,000 in high-risk groups. The rapid evidence review, expert advice and stakeholder feedback informed the revision process of the Commissioning Policy for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. This recommended the addition of patients unsuitable for surgical aortic valve replacement and the removal of explicit risk scoring. This recommendation was subject to the prioritisation process (carried out annually). The updated transcatheter aortic valve implantation recommendation was ranked second out of 23 technologies and services competing for additional WHSSC funding. The WHSSC Integrated Commissioning Plan for specialised services in Wales (2019) therefore included funding to support the new criteria for transcatheter aortic valve implantation treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan C. Peirce
- Cedar, Cardiff Medicentre, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4UJ UK
| | - Laura Knight
- Cedar, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK
| | - Andrew Cleves
- Cedar, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Iolo Doull
- Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, Pontypridd, UK
| | - Sian Lewis
- Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, Pontypridd, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhang M, Bao Y, Lang Y, Fu S, Kimber M, Levine M, Xie F. What Is Value in Health and Healthcare? A Systematic Literature Review of Value Assessment Frameworks. VALUE IN HEALTH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOECONOMICS AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH 2022; 25:302-317. [PMID: 35094803 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate how value is defined and measured in existing value assessment frameworks (VAFs) in healthcare. METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination from 2008 to 2019. We also performed backward citation chaining of included studies and previously published systematic reviews. Studies reporting the development of a VAF in healthcare were included. For each included framework, we extracted and compared the context, target users, intended use, methods used to identify value attributes, description of the attributes, and attribute scoring approaches. RESULTS Of the 8151 articles screened, 57 VAFs were included. The value attributes included in 55 VAFs were grouped into 9 categories: health benefits (n = 53, 96%), affordability (n = 45, 82%), societal impact (n = 42, 76%), burden of disease (n = 36, 65%), quality of evidence (n = 32, 58%), cost-effectiveness (n = 31, 56%), ethics and equity (n = 27, 49%), unmet needs (n = 21, 38%), and innovation (n = 15, 27%). The remaining 2 VAFs used broad attributes or user-defined attributes. Literature review was the main approach to identify value attributes in 36 VAFs. Patient or public was engaged through the development of only 11 VAFs. Weighting has been used to score 29 VAFs, of which 19 used the methods of multicriteria decision analysis. CONCLUSIONS There are substantial variations in defining and measuring value. A noticeable weakness of existing VAFs is that patient or public engagement was generally very limited or missing in framework development process. Existing VAFs tend to aggregate multiple value attributes into a single index for decision making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Zhang
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Yun Bao
- Institute of Clinical Research and Evidence Based Medicine, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yitian Lang
- Department of Pharmacy, Huangpu Branch, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shihui Fu
- School of International Pharmaceutical Business, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Melissa Kimber
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Mitchell Levine
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Feng Xie
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Rhys-Evans S. Should mitochondrial replacement therapy be funded by the National Health Service? JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2020; 47:medethics-2019-106053. [PMID: 32576625 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2019-106053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A clinical trial on mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) is currently being conducted and if this technique proves effective, National Health Service (NHS) England will fund MRT through the highly specialised services (HSS) funding stream. This paper considers whether MRT should be publicly funded by the NHS. Given the current financial pressure the NHS is experiencing, a comprehensive discussion is essential. There is yet to be a thorough discussion on MRT funding, perhaps because this is a small-scale issue and presumed to be covered by the HSS budget. However, the source of funding has not been confirmed due to the trial's incompletion. Upon its completion, reasoned decisions need to be made over the allocation of scarce NHS resources. It is therefore important to consider the following arguments in advance. Three arguments given against NHS funding of MRT will be evaluated. The first argument against NHS funding examines the HSS overspending its budget in an underfunded NHS, suggesting funding must be carefully reprioritised. Second, the ethical issue of allowing public access to a technique with insufficient evidence behind it will be explored. The final point considers the option of privately funding MRT and how this would affect the treatment's development. After illustrating the weaknesses of such arguments, it will be concluded that MRT should be funded by the NHS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Rhys-Evans
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
The Public Health Status and Foresight report 2014: Four normative perspectives on a healthier Netherlands in 2040. Health Policy 2019; 123:252-259. [DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|