TESTING MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS FOR MORE TRANSPARENT RESOURCE-ALLOCATION DECISION MAKING IN COLOMBIA

Area of Science:

• Health economics
• Health policy analysis
• Decision science

Background:

• Colombia's 2012 health sector reforms created an opportunity to enhance resource allocation processes.
• The establishment of the Health Technology Assessment Institute (IETS) and shifts in decision-making powers necessitated new evaluation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the applicability of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for systematic and transparent resource-allocation decisions in Colombia.
• To compare MCDA with existing health technology assessment (HTA) and budget impact analysis (BIA) processes.

Main Methods:

• The Evidence and Value: Impact on Decision Making (EVIDEM) MCDA framework was applied.
• A preparatory stage involved literature reviews and HTA report generation.
• A panel session with decision-makers evaluated the MCDA approach against current Colombian methods.

Main Results:

• Disease severity, population size, and efficacy were key criteria in the MCDA framework.
• MCDA-derived values for health technologies ranged from 71% to 90% of the maximum.
• Technology rankings varied based on the methods employed.

Conclusions:

• A two-step approach, integrating MCDA with detailed BIAs, was favored by participants.
• Decision-makers recognized the need for systematic priority setting in Colombia.
• The study provides a foundation for the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP) to implement transparent resource allocation.