The major issue in the provision of health care is that of developing an affordable health care system while preserving access to and quality of care. Health policy analysis deals with these issues, and ECORYS, in particular focuses on:

• the evaluation of public interventions, regulations, and (research ) programs to improve the functioning of health systems and health outcomes
• health technology assessment (HTA).

Evaluation is an important tool for gaining insight into the quality of policies, including law and regulations, interventions and (research) programs, with the aim to improve existing policy measures and avoid superfluous policy measures. ECORYS has extensive experience in conducting evaluations. Several different types of evaluation can be distinguished. Ex-ante evaluation considers the expected costs and benefits of possible policy measures, whereby the possible effectiveness and efficiency of the investigated measures is estimated. Ex-post evaluation estimates the effectiveness of already executed or currently executed policy measures. In the case of evaluating policy measures that are currently being executed one refers to intermediate evaluation. Another form of evaluation concerns impact assessment which constitutes a set of logical steps, structuring the preparation of policies.

HTA comprises of a structured (ex-ante and ex-post) analysis of the application of health technology, a set of related technologies, or a technology-related issue that is performed for the purpose of providing input to a policy decision. HTA is a form of policy research (often synthesizing literature) that systematically examines short- and long-term consequences of the application of health technologies. Health technologies are drugs, devices, procedures, and the organizational and support system within which health care is delivered. HTA includes studies of ethical and social consequences of technology, factors speeding or impeding development, diffusion and use of health technology and studies of variations in use of technologies. The most prominent part is the benefits and financial costs of technology. HTA is not defined by a set of methods but by its intent. E.g., a technical assessment of a pharmaceutical or medical device as part of a regulatory decision can be considered HTA. Likewise, an ethical analysis of gene therapy to evaluate its implications before deciding on reimbursement can be considered an HTA.

Examples of our project experience can be found under the heading 'Projects' (right of this text) and in our web project database.

More information
For more information, please contact:

Arthur ten Have
Manager Social Sector Development
T +0031 (0)10 453 86 82
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Wija Oortwijn
Senior consultant
T 0031 (0)10 453 84 21
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