This brief commentary seeks to develop the analysis of Daniels, Porteny and Urrutia of the implications of expansion of the scope of health technology assessment (HTA) beyond issues of safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness. Drawing in particular on experience in the United Kingdom, it suggests that such expansion can be understood not only as a response to the problem of insufficiency of evidence, but also to that of legitimacy. However, as expansion of HTA also renders it more visibly political in character, it is plausible that its legitimacy may be undermined, rather than enhanced by, independence from the policy process.
Daniels N, Porteny T, Urrutia J [correction of Urritia J]. Expanded HTA: enhancing fairness and legitimacy [published correction appears in Int J Health Policy Manag. 2016;5(5):347]. Int J Health Policy Manag.2016;5(1):1–3. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2015.187
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Syrett, K. (2016). Expanded HTA, Legitimacy and Independence; Comment on “Expanded HTA: Enhancing Fairness and Legitimacy”. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 5(9), 565-567. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2016.75
MLA
Keith Syrett. "Expanded HTA, Legitimacy and Independence; Comment on “Expanded HTA: Enhancing Fairness and Legitimacy”", International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 5, 9, 2016, 565-567. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2016.75
HARVARD
Syrett, K. (2016). 'Expanded HTA, Legitimacy and Independence; Comment on “Expanded HTA: Enhancing Fairness and Legitimacy”', International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 5(9), pp. 565-567. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2016.75
VANCOUVER
Syrett, K. Expanded HTA, Legitimacy and Independence; Comment on “Expanded HTA: Enhancing Fairness and Legitimacy”. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2016; 5(9): 565-567. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2016.75