1
|
Freitag B, Fehring L, Uncovska M, Olsacher A, Meister S. Negotiating pricing and payment terms for insurance covered mHealth apps: a qualitative content analysis and taxonomy development based on a German experience. HEALTH ECONOMICS REVIEW 2024; 14:81. [PMID: 39365482 PMCID: PMC11451222 DOI: 10.1186/s13561-024-00558-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 10/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Germany was the first country worldwide to offer mobile digital health applications (mHealth apps, "DiGA") on prescription with full cost coverage by statutory health insurances. Especially statutory health insurances criticize the current pricing and payment regulations in Germany due to "free and non-transparent" pricing in the first year and lack of cost use evidence. The study consists of two parts: The first part evaluates interests of digital health application providers and statutory health insurances in Germany to identify overlaps and divergences of interests. The second part includes the development of a comprehensive pricing and payment taxonomy for reimbursable mHealth apps in general. METHODS Both parts of the study used the input from 16 expert interviews with representatives of digital health application providers and statutory health insurances in Germany. In part one the authors conducted a qualitative content analysis and in part two they followed the taxonomy development process according to Nickerson et al. (2013). RESULTS A value based care model is expected to bring the greatest benefit for patients while statutory health insurances welcome the idea of usage based pricing. The final pricing and payment taxonomy consists of four design and negotiation steps (price finding, payment prerequisites, payment modalities, composition of negotiation board). CONCLUSIONS As healthcare resources are scarce and thus need to be optimally allocated, it is important to implement pricing and payment terms for reimbursable mHealth apps that result in the greatest benefit for patients. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there has been no structured study yet that examines alternative pricing strategies for reimbursable mHealth apps.The developed pricing and payment taxonomy for reimbursable mHealth apps serves as planning and decision basis for developers, health policy makers and payers internationally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Freitag
- Health Care Informatics, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Leonard Fehring
- Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, Witten, 58455, Germany
- Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Gastroenterology, Heusnerstraße 40, Wuppertal, 42283, Germany
| | - Marie Uncovska
- Health Care Informatics, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Alexandra Olsacher
- Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Sven Meister
- Health Care Informatics, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50, Witten, 58455, Germany.
- Department Healthcare, Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering, Emil-Figge-Straße 91, Dortmund, 44227, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Alnaqbi KA, Elezbawy B, Fasseeh AN, Bangash AR, Elshamy A, Shendi H, Aftab MI, AlMarshoodi M, Gebran N, AlDhaheri N, Fahmy SA, Al Dallal S, Al Naeem W, Abaza S, Kaló Z. Development of the Emirates Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Tool for Orphan Drugs. Cureus 2024; 16:e55215. [PMID: 38558740 PMCID: PMC10981202 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The number of orphan drug approvals is currently increasing globally. This creates a significant burden on payers and healthcare systems. This study aimed to create a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool for evaluating orphan drugs within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The intended result of the tool is to provide evidence-based guidance to decision-makers in reimbursement and procurement decisions. Methods We conducted a literature search and local expert interviews to identify relevant preliminary criteria for the MCDA tool. Then we conducted a structured consensus-building session for healthcare experts and decision-makers in the UAE to develop the Emirati MCDA tool for orphan drugs. The experts voted for the criteria to be included in the tool and their ranking according to importance, as well as the weight of each criterion and its scoring function. To improve understanding and facilitate the voting process, experts were provided with a brief illustration of similar tools conducted in other countries before the voting sessions. Finally, the tool was developed in a Microsoft Excel sheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States), and it was validated and tested based on real case studies, then it was fine-tuned accordingly based on the experts' discussions. The final tool was provided to the attendees to guide their decisions in the reimbursement and procurement of orphan drugs. Results The created tool provides a score for each analyzed orphan drug based on its value. Ten criteria were included in the final MCDA tool. These were cost-effectiveness (25.1% of the weight), magnitude of health gain (20.1%), availability of therapeutic alternative (14.3%), disease severity (11%), budget impact (7.9%), disease rarity (5.6%), strength of clinical evidence (5.6%), burden on households (4.5%), indication uniqueness (3.2%), and patients' age (2.6%). Conclusions Implementation of evidence-based healthcare necessitates assessing the fair value of each health technology. Addressing the high unmet medical needs and improving healthcare for patients with rare diseases are priorities within the UAE. The created Emirates MCDA tool for orphan drugs has the potential to help decision-makers implement value-based and evidence-based reimbursement decisions for orphan drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khalid A Alnaqbi
- Internal Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, ARE
- Internal Medicine/Rheumatology, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, ARE
| | - Baher Elezbawy
- Evidence Synthesis, Syreon Middle East, Alexandria, EGY
- Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HUN
| | - Ahmad N Fasseeh
- Modelling, Syreon Middle East, Alexandria, EGY
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EGY
| | - Abdul Rauf Bangash
- Benefit Design and Strategic Purchasing, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, ARE
| | - Amin Elshamy
- Wellbeing and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai, ARE
| | | | | | | | - Nicole Gebran
- Clinical Pharmacy, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Abu Dhabi, ARE
| | - Noura AlDhaheri
- Pediatrics/Genetics and Genomics, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, ARE
| | - Sahar A Fahmy
- Drugs and Medical Products Regulation, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, ARE
| | | | - Waeil Al Naeem
- Clinical Pharmacy, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Abu Dhabi, ARE
| | - Sherif Abaza
- Health Economics, Syreon Middle East, Cairo, EGY
| | - Zoltán Kaló
- Health Economics, Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, HUN
- Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis Univeristy, Budapest, HUN
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gasol M, Paco N, Guarga L, Bosch JÀ, Pontes C, Obach M. Early Access to Medicines: Use of Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) as a Decision Tool in Catalonia (Spain). J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11051353. [PMID: 35268443 PMCID: PMC8910942 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11051353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Early access to medicines allows the prescription of a medicine before it is available in the public formulary to patients with severe or rare diseases with high unmet needs who have no authorised therapeutic alternatives available. In this context, consistent decision making is difficult, and a systematic assessment procedure could be useful to tackle complex situations and guarantee the equity of medicines’ access. A multidisciplinary panel (MP) conducted four workshops to develop an early access framework based on a reflective multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA). A set of 12 criteria was agreed: eight quantitative (severity of disease, urgency, efficacy, safety, internal and external validity, therapeutic benefit and plausibility) and four qualitative (therapeutic alternative, existence of precedents, management impact and costs). Quantitative criteria were weighted using a five-point scale. The relative importance of quantitative criteria had mean weights from 4.7 to 3.6, showing its relevance in the decisions. The framework was tested using two case studies, and reliability was assessed by re-test. The re-test revealed no statistical differences, indicating the consistency and replicability of the framework developed. MCDA may help to structure discussions for heterogeneous treatment requests, providing predictability and robustness in decision making involving sensitive and complex situations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Montse Gasol
- Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
- Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (N.P.); (L.G.); (M.O.)
- Digitalization for the Sustainability of the Healthcare System (DS3), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08006 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Noelia Paco
- Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (N.P.); (L.G.); (M.O.)
| | - Laura Guarga
- Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (N.P.); (L.G.); (M.O.)
| | - Josep Àngel Bosch
- Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
| | - Caridad Pontes
- Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
- Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (N.P.); (L.G.); (M.O.)
- Digitalization for the Sustainability of the Healthcare System (DS3), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08006 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Mercè Obach
- Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), 08007 Barcelona, Spain; (N.P.); (L.G.); (M.O.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rejon-Parrilla JC, Espin J, Epstein D. How innovation can be defined, evaluated and rewarded in health technology assessment. HEALTH ECONOMICS REVIEW 2022; 12:1. [PMID: 34981266 PMCID: PMC8725438 DOI: 10.1186/s13561-021-00342-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND What constitutes innovation in health technologies can be defined and measured in a number of ways and it has been widely researched and published about. However, while many countries mention it as a criterion for pricing or reimbursement of health technologies, countries differ widely in how they define and operationalise it. METHODS We performed a literature review, using a snowballing search. In this paper, we explore how innovation has been defined in the literature in relation to health technology assessment. We also describe how a selection of countries (England, France, Italy, Spain and Japan) take account of innovation in their health technology assessment frameworks and explore the key methodologies that can capture it as a dimension of value in a new health technology. We propose a way of coming to, and incorporating into health technology assessment systems, a definition of innovation for health technologies that is independent of other dimensions of value that they already account for in their systems, such as clinical benefit. We use Spain as an illustrative example of how innovation might be operationalised as a criterion for decision making in health technology assessment. RESULTS The countries analysed here can be divided into 2 groups with respect to how they define innovation. France, Japan and Italy use features such as severity, unmet need and therapeutic added value as indicators of the degree of innovation of a health technology, while England, Spain consider the degree of innovation as a separate and additional criterion from others. In the case of Spain, a notion of innovation might be constructed around concepts of `step-change', `convenience', `strength of evidence base' and `impact on future research & development'. CONCLUSIONS If innovation is to be used as operational criteria for adoption, pricing and reimbursement of health technologies, the concept must be clearly defined, and it ought to be independent from other value dimensions already captured in their health technology assessment systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Rejon-Parrilla
- Área de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias de la Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud (AETSA-FPS), Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Jaime Espin
- Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jakab I, Whittington MD, Franklin E, Raiola S, Campbell JD, Kaló Z, McQueen RB. Patient and Payer Preferences for Additional Value Criteria. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:690021. [PMID: 34248638 PMCID: PMC8263917 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.690021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Defining the value of healthcare is an elusive target, and depends heavily on the decision context and stakeholders involved. Cost-utility analysis and the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) have become the method and value definition of choice for traditional value judgements in coverage and pricing decisions. Other criteria that may influence value are often not measured and therefore omitted from value assessments, or are only used to qualitatively contextualize assessments. The objective of this study was to engage two key stakeholders; patients and payers to elicit and rank the importance of additional value criteria, potentially assessed in Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Methods: This study consisted of a focus group with cancer patients (n = 7), including follow-up questions through an electronic survey, and in-depth phone interviews with payers (n = 5). Results: For payers, value equated either with criteria that provided tangible benefits (from their perspective) such as new treatment options that respond to serious unmet need. For patients, population-level value equated to options that would potentially benefit them in the future and the value of hope. However, these criteria were seen by payers as difficult to measure and incorporate into objective decision making. Limitations: The findings from this study are primarily limited due to generalizability. Due to the small sample size, it was outside the scope of this study to calculate a weight for each criterion that could be used as part of a quantitative MCDA. Conclusion: MCDA, with particular attention to qualitative aspects, is an avenue to incorporate these additional criteria into value assessments, as well as provide an opportunity for reflecting the patient’s preferences in assessing the value of a treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivett Jakab
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Melanie D Whittington
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | | | - Susan Raiola
- Real Endpoints, LLC, Florham Park, NJ, United States
| | - Jonathan D Campbell
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Zoltán Kaló
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary.,Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - R Brett McQueen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
A systematic review of pharmaceutical price mark-up practice and its implementation. EXPLORATORY RESEARCH IN CLINICAL AND SOCIAL PHARMACY 2021; 2:100020. [PMID: 35481119 PMCID: PMC9031039 DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmaceutical products, apart from being essential for medical treatment, are of high value and heavily regulated to ensure the prices are controlled. This systematic review was conducted to identify pharmaceutical pricing mark-up control measures, specifically in the wholesale and retail sectors. The search method comprised the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Link, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost and Google Scholar. The results were filtered systematically from the inception of the aforementioned databases until 23 April 2021. Eligible studies were those focusing on the implementation of pharmaceutical pricing strategies that involve a) mark-ups of medicine, and b) pharmaceutical cost control measures. A total of 13 studies were included in this review: seven covered European countries, four covered Asian countries, one covered the USA and one covered Canada. The main points of discussion in the qualitative synthesis were the implementation of medicine mark-ups, price mark-up regulatory strategies and the outcomes of these regulatory strategies. Our findings suggest that Western countries have a lower mark-up margin, around 4% to 25% of the original purchased price, compared to Asian countries, up to 50%.
Collapse
|