Providing high quality and affordable universal health care is a major challenge facing health care providers in countries across the world. Health policy analysis focuses therefore on the evaluation of public interventions, regulations, and (research) programs to improve the functioning of health systems and health outcomes. 

Evaluation
Evaluation is an important tool for gaining insight into the quality of health policies, regulations, public interventions and (research) programs. The purpose behind evaluating policy is not only to improve existing policy measures but also to make sure such measures are cost-effective and avoid unnecessary duplication. ECORYS has a wealth of evaluation experience (ex-ante, mid-term and ex-post) in health and other policy domains as it is an essential component of providing sound public policy advice.
Ex-ante evaluation sheds light on the expected costs and benefits of different policy options whereby the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed measures are described. Ex-post evaluation judges the effectiveness of policy measures that have already been implemented. Another related evaluation service we provide is a so-called impact assessment (IA) which constitutes a set of logical steps to help structure the preparation of policies.

Health Technology Assessment
HTA comprises the systematic and evidence-based (ex-ante or ex-post) evaluation of short and long-term impact of health technologies. These technologies include drugs, devices but also procedures and organizational and support systems in which health care is delivered. HTA may address the direct, intended consequences of technologies as well as their indirect, unintended consequences. The aim of HTA is to better inform technology-related policymaking in health care. The research focus can often be to do with the social and even ethical consequences of technology, the factors speeding or impeding technological development, the diffusion and use of health technology or the variations in use of technologies. The most prominent part of a HTA study concerns the benefits and costs of technology.

More information
For more information, please contact:

Arthur ten Have
Partner Health
T +31 (0)10 453 86 82
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Wija Oortwijn
Partner Health
T +31 (0)10 453 84 21
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Project references

Project: Development of a HTA methodology for innovative health care technologies
Country: European Union
Client: European Commission
Activities: Development of a generic methodology for the evaluation of healthcare innovations. The methodology expands the focus of HTA to a comprehensive assessment of innovations in the healthcare system.

Project: Evaluation of Strengthening the Institutional Response to HIV/AIDS/STI in the Caribbean (2006-2007)
Country: Guyana, Suriname, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Belize
Client: European Commission
Activities: Through this project an assessment was made of the performance of the SIRHASC (Strengthening the Institutional Response to HIV/AIDS/STIs in the Caribbean) project. The project aimed to strengthen the regional institutional capacity to plan and coordinate an effective response to the STI/HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in the worst affected countries.

Project: External evaluation of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Country: EU-27, EFTA/EEA, accession countries
Client: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Activities: Review relevant documentation with the objective to direct our evaluation and to assess the current practice of ECDC, Financial and cost analysis, Develop and conducting a web-based survey and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including representatives of health ministries and international organisations.

Project: Identification Study for HIV/AIDS and Gender Programme in Malawi
Country: Malawi
Client: European Commission
Activities: The objective of the consultancy was to assist the Government of Malawi and the EC in the identification of a HIV/AIDS and Gender programme under the 10th EDF. The team undertook a broad assessment of various interventions in the areas of HIV/AIDS and Gender in Malawi, to make an inventory of interventions highlighting what has worked and what has not worked. This enabled to draw up the rationale for the preferred strategic intervention and the mode of implementation (outlined in the identification fiche and logical framework).

Project: Support to the health sector in Mozambique
Country: Mozambique
Client: European Commission
Activities: Our expert provided long term advice to the EC, the lead donor in the health sector, to coordinate Mozambican health policies supported by development partners and to support development of future policies. 

Project: The role of Health Technology Assessment in Middle-Income Countries: Reimbursement decisions of pharmaceuticals in selected countries (2008-2009)
Country: Argentina, Brazil, China, Israel, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Columbia, Turkey
Client: Novo Nordisk
Activities: The aim of this study is to provide an overview of how Health Technology Assessment is organised in selected middle income countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, Columbia, Israel, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey) and specifically how this relates to coverage decision making of pharmaceuticals. The research concentrated on the main system of health financing and coverage; how pharmaceuticals are regulated; how HTA is organised and the current role of HTA in the coverage decision-making process of pharmaceuticals in the countries under study. In addition, we also assessed how HTA would develop in the near future.