Methods and Practical Considerations for Conducting Budget Impact Analysis for Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions.

Area of Science:

• Health economics
• Health technology assessment
• Healthcare management

Background:

• Health technology assessment (HTA) is performed at national, provincial, and hospital levels.
• Budget impact analysis (BIA) methods for non-pharmaceutical interventions are less explored in literature compared to pharmaceuticals.
• Provincial and hospital-based HTAs frequently assess non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) of non-pharmaceutical interventions from a Canadian provincial agency since 2015.
• To evaluate the characteristics and challenges associated with conducting Budget Impact Analyses (BIAs) for non-pharmaceutical interventions.
• To provide methodological insights for accurate financial forecasting in healthcare planning.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published HTAs of non-pharmaceutical interventions.
• Analysis of BIAs conducted by a Canadian provincial HTA agency since 2015.
• Categorization of interventions (surgery, diagnostics, programs, digital health) to identify unique BIA characteristics.

Main Results:

• BIAs for non-pharmaceutical interventions necessitate accounting for healthcare system capacity and historical volumes for population estimation.
• Intervention uptake is influenced by guidelines, implementation requirements (labor, infrastructure), and target population size.
• Interpreting cost savings requires clarity on their source and reallocation potential, applicable also to pharmaceutical HTAs.

Conclusions:

• Addressing specific methodological considerations in BIAs for non-pharmaceutical interventions enhances financial impact prediction for public payers.
• Improved BIA methods can guide effective budget allocation for healthcare system planning.
• These findings support more robust financial evaluations for a wider range of healthcare technologies.