Health Policy Manag.  2018 Sep;28(3):263-271. 10.4332/KJHPA.2018.28.3.263.

Roles of Health Technology Assessment for Better Health and Universal Health Coverage in Korea

• Lee YS

• KMID: 2422534
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2018.28.3.263

Abstract

Health technology assessment (HTA) is defined as multidisciplinary policy analysis to look into the medical, economic, social, and ethical implications of the development, distribution, and use of health technology. Following the recent changes in the social environment, there are increasing needs to improve Korea's healthcare environment by, inter alia, assessing health technologies in an organized, timely manner in accordance with the government's strategies to ensure that citizens' medical expenses are kept at a stable level. Dedicated to HTA and research, the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) analyzes and provides grounds on the clinical safety, efficacy, and economic feasibility of health technologies. HTA offers the most suitable grounds for decision making not only by healthcare professionals but also by policy makers and citizens as seen in a case in 2009 where research revealed that glucosamine lacked preventive and treatment effects for osteoarthritis and glucosamine was subsequently excluded from the National Health Insurance's benefit list to stop the insurance scheme from suffering financial losses and citizens from paying unnecessary medical expenses. For the development of HTA in Korea, the NECA will continue exerting itself to accomplish its mission of providing policy support by health technology reassessment, promoting the establishment and use of big data and HTA platforms for public interest, and developing a new value-based HTA system.

Keyword

Health technology assessment; Health technology reassessment; National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency; Evidence-based healthcare policy; Big data & health technology assessment platform; Value-based health technology assessment

MeSH Terms

Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide)
Administrative Personnel
Biomedical Technology*
Decision Making
Delivery of Health Care
Evidence-Based Practice
Glucosamine
Humans
Insurance
Korea*
Osteoarthritis
Policy Making
Social Environment
Technology Assessment, Biomedical*
Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide)
Glucosamine