Training on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) for Priority Setting

Health systems must continually decide which medicines, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital health solutions to fund, often within tight budgets. Without structured evaluation, investments risk delivering limited value, increasing inequities, or diverting resources from high-impact services.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) provides a systematic framework to evaluate the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness, and broader social and ethical implications of health technologies. Institutions such as the World Health Organization and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence promote HTA as a critical tool for transparent, evidence-based priority setting and reimbursement decisions.

This 10-day course offers a practical and comprehensive introduction to HTA for policymakers, managers, and analysts. Participants will learn core HTA methodologies, including evidence synthesis, health economic evaluation, budget impact analysis, and decision-analytic modeling. The course also covers data requirements, stakeholder engagement, ethical considerations, and how HTA findings inform national coverage policies and benefit package design.

Through applied exercises and real-world case studies, participants develop the skills to design, commission, interpret, and apply HTA processes that strengthen accountability, efficiency, and equity in health system decision-making.

By the end of the program, professionals will be equipped to use HTA as a strategic tool for priority setting, reimbursement policy, and sustainable health financing.

Duration

10 Days

Who Should Attend

• Health policymakers and planners

• Health economists and analysts

• Health financing and insurance officials

• Hospital managers and clinicians

• Regulatory authorities

• Researchers and consultants

Individual Impact

• Understand HTA concepts and methods
• Strengthen analytical and evaluation skills
• Improve policy advisory capacity
• Gain practical HTA application experience
• Enhance decision-making competencies

Organizational Impact

• Better priority setting decisions
• Improved resource allocation efficiency
• Stronger transparency and accountability
• Sustainable health financing
• Higher value healthcare investments

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain HTA frameworks and processes
• Conduct basic HTA analyses
• Interpret clinical and economic evidence
• Apply HTA results to priority setting
• Support institutionalization of HTA systems

Module 1: Introduction to Health Technology Assessment

• Definition and scope of HTA
• Role of HTA in health systems
• Global HTA models and institutions
• HTA in priority setting
• Practical Exercise: Identifying HTA needs and topics

Module 2: Clinical Effectiveness and Safety Assessment

• Systematic literature reviews
• Evidence grading methods
• Comparative effectiveness analysis
• Real-world evidence use
• Case Study: Assessing a new medical treatment

Module 3: Economic Evaluation in HTA

• Cost-effectiveness analysis
• Cost-utility and cost-benefit approaches
• Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios
• Decision thresholds
• Practical Exercise: Basic economic evaluation

Module 4: Budget Impact Analysis

• Estimating financial implications
• Scaling scenarios
• Short- and long-term impacts
• Supporting budget planning
• Case Study: Introducing a new health technology

Module 5: Ethical, Social, and Equity Considerations

• Equity in technology access
• Ethical implications of health innovations
• Patient perspectives
• Social impact assessment
• Practical Exercise: Equity-focused HTA analysis

Module 6: Data Sources and Evidence Generation

• Clinical trials
• Health system data
• Registries and surveys
• Data quality issues
• Case Study: Using routine data for HTA

Module 7: HTA Process Design and Governance

• Topic selection
• Stakeholder involvement
• Review committees
• Transparency and accountability
• Practical Exercise: Designing an HTA process framework

Module 8: Translating HTA Evidence into Policy

• Decision-making pathways
• Reimbursement and pricing decisions
• Communication of findings
• Policy implementation strategies
• Case Study: HTA influencing national policy

Module 9: Institutionalizing HTA Systems

• Building HTA agencies or units
• Capacity development
• Sustainable financing models
• Partnerships and networks
• Practical Exercise: Developing an HTA institutional roadmap

Module 10: Future Trends in HTA

• HTA for digital health technologies
• Adaptive HTA models
• Use of big data and AI
• Global collaboration in HTA
• Practical Exercise: Designing next-generation HTA approaches