Govt appoints nine members to drive health tech reform

The federal government has appointed nine members to the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review Implementation Advisory Group (IAG).

To be chaired by the renowned cardiologist and Co-director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the University of Sydney, Professor Andrew Wilson, the IAG will help guide critical reforms in response to the findings and recommendations of the HTA Review Report, which was released in September.

Health technology assessment is the process of reviewing the quality, safety, efficacy and value for money of new health technologies before they are funded or subsidised by government.

Minister for Health Mark Butler said, “We are living in a supercharged period of discovery, and the velocity of that change is stress-testing every part of the health sector, from clinical practice to business models, to our systems for health technology assessment.

“The HTA Review Report was a critical piece of work that brought together governments, health experts, patients and industry, and it is important that all four perspectives are represented in taking forward the reforms that come out of it.

“Global surveys tell us that Australia’s patient organisations lead the world in confidence that they are listened to and taken seriously by government, and this group continues our government’s efforts to elevate patient voices in key decisions.”

The new group includes a robust mix of representatives from government, industry, consumers and clinical practice, so all voices are heard and consensus can be reached on these reforms. Members of the IAG include:

• Dr Richard Mitchell – Head of Clinical Services, Kids Cancer Centre
• Dr Lorraine Anderson – Medical Director, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services
• Nicole Millis – Chief Executive Officer, Rare Voices Australia
• Kirsten Pilatti – Chief Executive Officer, Breast Cancer Network Australia
• Elizabeth de Somer – Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Australia
• Anne Harris – Deputy Chair, Medicines Australia Board
• Prof Emily Lancsar – Chief Health Economist in the Department of Health and Aged Care
• Duncan McIntyre – First Assistant Secretary, Technology Assessment and Access Division, Department of Health and Aged Care
   

A member to represent states and territories will be nominated by the Health Technology and Genomics Collaboration.

The HTA Review Report made 50 recommendations across a range of areas, including improving access to new technologies, ensuring equity, and making HTA processes simpler for consumers and clinicians. It also recommended reducing the time it takes for medicines to be funded, and investing in HTA capability so it is more adaptable and futureproof.

The IAG will co-design a draft government response to the HTA review, and will also consider the findings of the ‘Enhance HTA and The New Frontier — Delivering better heath for all Australians’ report.

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