[On the necessity of benefit assessments across all indications]

IQWiG's General Methods catalogue has raised a controversial debate among experts, and one of the major issues is the catalogue's authors' decision to exclusively use indication-specific output measures for benefit assessments. In contrast, numerous critics of this approach demand that benefit be measured using a uniform scale which is valid and interpretable for all indications, such as the "quality-adjusted life-year" (QALY). The present article will take a critical look at the arguments put forward by IQWiG and point out the disadvantages of purely indication-specific benefit assessments. We will then explore the legal possibilities of benefit assessments independent of the type of disease, and make some suggestions for the future approach to healthcare evaluation in Germany.