title: Health technology assessment and policy from the economic perspective.
abstract: This article comments on the four country papers in this volume from an economic perspective. Different phases of the decision-making process, which can be supported by Health Technology Assessment (HTA), are considered. For each of these, there is large cross-country variation in the way in which HTA influences policy. Furthermore, economic themes regarding the relevance of HTA evidence for policy making, the position of cost-effectiveness in relation to other criteria vis-à-vis reimbursement decisions, the use of a cost per quality-adjusted life year threshold, and the incorporation of economic considerations in practice guidelines are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam.
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rutten
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D011050:Policy Making; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics*