The status of health economic evaluation within decision making in Austria

Given limited resources compared to the demand for them, spending resources efficiently is important. Key methods applied for supporting efficient resource allocation are health economic evaluations.

Based on secondary literature, we analyze international challenges for using two types of economic evaluations-cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis-in reimbursement decisions and reflect on them for the Austrian case.

The main challenges with the application of economic evaluations are related to the methods, the decision-making culture, and the respective system. The challenges also apply to the Austrian Bismarck system, where almost no formal requirements for using economic evaluations exist, except on a case-by-case basis. Resource allocation in Austria hence occurs, for the most part, implicitly.

One way forward towards more explicit efficiency considerations may be to consider more descriptive study types and foster capacity building, standardization of methods and presentation of results, and a mandatory detailed guideline.