title: Unrelated Future Costs and Unrelated Future Benefits: Reflections on NICE Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal.
abstract: In this editorial, we consider the vexing issue of 'unrelated future costs' (for example, the costs of caring for people with dementia or kidney failure after preventing their deaths from a heart attack). The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance is not to take such costs into account in technology appraisals. However, standard appraisal practice involves modelling the benefits of those unrelated technologies. We argue that there is a sound principled reason for including both the costs and benefits of unrelated care. Changing this practice would have material consequences for decisions about reimbursing particular technologies, and we urge future research to understand this better. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Alec
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.affiliation: Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Amanda I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.affiliation: University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.affiliation: Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brouwer
authors.affiliation: University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Claxton
authors.affiliation: NHS Health Scotland, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.affiliation: NICE, St George's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Alastair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGregor
authors.affiliation: Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Baal
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*
keywords: cost effectiveness analysis; costing; economic analysis; health technology assessment; unrelated future costs