02 Dec Returning to the ‘Sandbox’ to explore shared decision-making tools and novel payment models
HTx holds further ‘Policy Sandbox’ events to explore the acceptability of shared decision-making tools and novel payment models for innovative medicines.
Following its first policy sandbox event in August 2021, HTx partners, led by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), have held further sandbox events to engage with stakeholders about key topics and outputs from the project.
On 12th October 2022, a sandbox workshop focused on shared decision-making aids; specifically interactive tools designed to be used during a clinical appointment to support shared decisions about treatment in a personalised way. Participants represented the anticipated ‘end users’ of such tools – patients and clinicians – from across Europe. The workshop included presentations about the concept of shared decision-making and a multiple sclerosis treatment decision aid, which is being developed in HTx work package 1. Participants were invited to share their thoughts on such tools, including desirable and undesirable features. Concurrently, a survey of the anticipated ‘implementers’ of shared decision-making tools – clinical guideline developers – was conducted to explore what developers can do to make their tools suitable for implementation into practice. The outputs from this work will lead to clear policy recommendations for the developers of shared decision-making tools to improve their acceptability to users and the likelihood of implementation.
On 29th November 2022, another sandbox workshop was held, on this occasion focusing on the suitability of outcomes-based agreements (OBAs) to support the sustainable reimbursement of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Based on outputs from HTx work packages 1 and 4, we know that ATMPs are among the most challenging technologies for HTA agencies to evaluate and that OBAs are seen as a valuable – but possibly underused – solution to providing access to ATMPs. There were 29 participants representing HTA agencies, payer and social insurance organisations, patient organisations and an industry body from across Europe. They heard presentations introducing OBAs, introducing ATMPs and their importance to patients, sharing the results of a pre-workshop survey about the key challenges ATMPs pose, and demonstrating novel tools to support payers in The Netherlands and Sweden. In a plenary discussion and interactive breakout rooms, the key issues and potential benefits of OBAs were discussed. The findings will lead to further sandbox engagement, towards making policy recommendations about how HTA can best support the implementation of OBAs for innovative technologies.
