USC Schaeffer Center experts and colleagues responded to the Health Economics Methods Advisory’s (HEMA) Oct.9 request for comment on its draft report reviewing the benefits of treatment that are appropriate to consider in economic evaluation for health technology assessment (HTA). HEMA was convened by the leaders of three international HTA organizations to consider new methods and processes: the U.S.-based Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC).
Their response argues the draft report mischaracterizes and misapplies basic economic principles to defend the outdated status quo built around the quality-adjusted life year (QALY), which was recently banned by the Inflation Reduction Act for decision-making by American public payers due to its discriminatory aspects. The draft report also fails to acknowledge the advantages of alternatives, such as Generalized Risk-Adjusted Cost-Effectiveness (GRACE), that account for patient preferences and provide a legally compliant path forward.
Read the full comment letter here.
