Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 June 2018
Latin American countries are taking important steps to expand and strengthen universal health coverage, and health technology assessment (HTA) has an increasingly prominent role in this process. Participation of all relevant stakeholders has become a priority in this effort. Key issues in this area were discussed during the 2017 Latin American Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) Policy Forum.
The Forum included forty-one participants from Latin American HTA agencies; public, social security, and private insurance sectors; and the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. A background paper and presentations by invited experts and Forum members supported discussions. This study presents a summary of these discussions.
Stakeholder involvement in HTA remains inconsistently implemented in the region and few countries have established formal processes. Participants agreed that stakeholder involvement is key to improve the HTA process, but the form and timing of such improvements must be adapted to local contexts. The legitimization of both HTA and decision-making processes was identified as one of the main reasons to promote stakeholder involvement; but to be successful, the entire system of assessment and decision making must be properly staffed and organized, and certain basic conditions must be met, including transparency in the HTA process and a clear link between HTA and decision making.
Participants suggested a need for establishing clear rules of participation in HTA that would protect HTA producers and decision makers from potentially distorting external influences. Such rules and mechanisms could help foster trust and credibility among stakeholders, supporting actual involvement in HTA processes.
To the event participants: Lizbeth Acuña (Cuenta de Alto Costo - Colombia), Julio Arias (Johnson&Johnson), Christine Bouchet (Alcon), Andrew Bruce (Amgen), Jaime Calderón Herrera (Instituto de Evaluación Tecnológica en Salud (IETS) - Colombia), Ramon Camacho (Merck), Vania Cristina Canuto Santos (Comissão Nacional de Incorporação de Tecnologias no SUS (CONITEC) - Brazil), Ricardo Castillo (Sanofi), Albin Chaves Matamoros (Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social - Costa Rica), Rafael de Feria (Ministerio de Salud - Chile), David Debrott Sánchez (Superintendencia de Salud - Chile), Jose Luis Estrada Aguilar (Intituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) - Mexico), Fabián Fiestas-Saldarriaga (Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud) - Peru), Veronica Gallegos Rivero (Centro Nacional de Excelencia Tecnológica en Salud (CENETEC) - Mexico), Margarita García (Ministerio de Salud - El Salvador), Christian David Gavilanes Castellanos (Ministerio de Salud Pública - Ecuador), Edgar Guerrero (Johnson&Johnson), Gisely Hijar Guerra (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) - Peru), Silvana Kelles (UNIMED - Brazil), Elsa Koutsavakis (Pfizer), Alexandre Lemgruber (Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) - PAHO), Kariluz Maestre (Novartis), Mercedes Manzioni (Instituto Nacional de Servicios Sociales para Jubilados y Pensionados - Argentina), Homero Monsanto (Merck), Sean Nagle (Novartis), Mariana Naranjo Muedano (Amgen), Manny Papadimitropoulos (Eli Lilly), Ana Pérez Galán (Ministerio de Salud - Uruguay), Joaquín Pinto (Roche), Monica Quijano (Novartis), Jocelyn Ramírez Gamez (Eli Lilly), Alarico Rodriguez (Fondo Nacional de Recursos - Uruguay), Raul Sanchez Kobashi (Sanofi), Ana Eduviges Sancho Jiménez (Ministerio de Salud - Costa Rica), Joice Valentim (Roche), Stefan Weber (Novartis). We also thank Tara Schuller for her work in translating the manuscript from Spanish to English. Financial support: The organization of and attendance at the Forum was financed by Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi). The preparation of this study was undertaken by the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS) with funding support from HTAi.