Driving factors and mode transformation regarding health technology assessment (HTA) in China: Problems and recommendations.

SUMMARY: As the reform of Chinese medical and health undertakings has advanced (since 2015), the admission, pricing and payment policies regarding the new health technologies of China have undergone significant changes, and health technology assessment (HTA) has gradually become one of the current reform and research hotspots in China. Based on the perspective of HTA driving factors and the development mode, this paper proposes a two-stage mode of HTA development in China, namely, the mode driven by the management of new heath technology admission and another one driven by new health technology pricing and medical insurance payment. In addition, the paper also proposes the challenges that HTA faces in China under the current mode, including the development system, process standard, data mechanism, and policy application. Besides, recommendations are provided for the further development of HTA construction in China, including strengthening the development system of regional HTA centers, formulating HTA process guidance, building a database, improving evaluation quality and intensifying policy integration. Key Words: Health technology assessment, China, driving factors, development mode, issues, recommendations Full Text: PDF(416KB