Center for Innovation & Value Research releases final report on integrating equity into health technology assessment

The final report from the Center for Innovation & Value Research outlines steps to integrate equity into health technology assessment (HTA), focusing on transparency, inclusivity, and addressing health disparities in decision-making.

The Center for Innovation & Value Research (the Center, formerly known as the Innovation and Value Initiative), has released the final report in its series on integrating equity into HTA. The report, titled “Fulfilling the Promise of Equity in Value-Based Care: A Focus on Communications and Use in HTA,” outlines actionable steps for stakeholders to address health disparities and ensure equity is prioritized in healthcare decision-making.

HTA methodologies are used by health systems, payers, employers, policymakers, and manufacturers to evaluate the clinical and economic value of healthcare interventions. However, traditional HTA methods have not adequately addressed equitable distribution of healthcare resources, a critical aspect of health equity. As the report highlights, “There is no value without equity.”

This final report is part of the Center’s broader initiative to transform HTA into a tool that fully reflects the diverse needs of patients. Over the past two years, the Center has engaged with more than 40 stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, researchers, payers, industry leaders, and employers, to ensure that equity is at the forefront of every decision in HTA. Jason Spangler, CEO of the Center, emphasized the significance of this effort, stating, “Our goal is to fundamentally transform the landscape of HTA to reflect the diverse needs of patients better and ensure equity is at the forefront of every decision.”

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Focus on communications and use

The Center identified four key domains critical to incorporating equity into HTA:

1. Power, People, and Processes (covered in Report #1)
2. Data & Inputs (covered in Report #2)
3. Methods (covered in Report #2)
4. Communications and Use (covered in Report #3, the focus of this final report)

The newly released report on ‘Communications and Use’ provides specific steps to improve transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity in how HTA findings are communicated and used. These recommendations include:

• Transparent communication throughout the HTA process: Open and clear communication is essential across all stages, from conducting HTA to reporting and implementing findings. This ensures that stakeholders, including patients and caregivers, can make informed and equitable healthcare decisions.
• Ensuring HTA findings are understandable and usable: Using clear, plain language helps patients and decision-makers to easily grasp and apply HTA findings, without needing specialized knowledge.
• Addressing health impacts on diverse patient groups: HTA practitioners should clearly discuss the known and unknown effects of healthcare interventions on different patient populations to account for potential disparities.
• Incorporating HTA into holistic decision-making: HTA should be integrated into an inclusive healthcare decision-making process that involves patients and caregivers as active partners, considering their preferences and unique needs.

The report emphasizes that an equity-centered approach is crucial for HTA to fulfill its potential in value-based care. Recent policy changes, such as the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program in the US and EU Regulation on Health Technology Assessment (EU HTAR), offer new opportunities for HTA to contribute to value-based care. Supported by diverse funding sources, including Pfizer and PhRMA, the Center notes their Health Equity program aims to transform HTA into a tool that promotes both value-based care and health equity across all patient populations through transparency, inclusivity, and clear communication.

“By broadening the criteria for assessing healthcare interventions and integrating equity-centered HTA into a holistic and inclusive decision-making process, decision-makers can ensure that healthcare policies and interventions are not only efficient and effective, but also equitable and responsive to the needs of all patients, especially communities experiencing the most persistent health inequities.”