Innovation procurement is a key enabler to improve the quality and efficiency of public healthcare services by driving innovation from demand side to meet concrete public healthcare provider needs. Catalan Health Services (CatSalut) aims to optimize healthcare services through innovative solutions that encompass both innovative technologies and new processes of care. Answering this aim, the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (HCB) is participating in an Innovative Pilot Program to optimize the efficiency in the management of Aortic Valve Stenosis (AVS) using an adaptation of the methods and knowledge from hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA).

The first step was to identify unmet needs, main bottlenecks and problems in the comprehensive management of aortic valve stenosis (AVS) (from primary care to hospital discharge). Innovative technologies, solutions and health care organizations were proactively scanned through literature review and professional expertise. Lists of solutions were proposed through an inclusive stakeholder participation process.

A new healthcare model was proposed to be evaluated in the next three years based on an integral, transversal and multidisciplinary management of AVS (named MITMEVA). For each new proposed solution, the management, work streams, expected impact and key performance indicators (based on stakeholder information demands) were defined. To test the potential of the proposal, a theoretical modeling of the economic, clinical and process impacts of implementation was performed based on available scientific evidence, local professional and economic data. This analysis shows more quality-adjusted life years, fewer adverse effects and lower cost with the new proposed model.

HB-HTA usually recommends for/against investments. In the era of value based procurement, HB-HTA can also help in developing a Public Procurement of innovative solutions (PPI) project and in testing proactively its potential impact in healthcare, which will be later tested in real life. Therefore, adapting HB-HTA to hospital innovative procurement is another way for health technology assessment to push for the implementation and testing of high value innovative technologies.