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Unrelated Future Costs and Unrelated Future Benefits: Reflections on NICE Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal
Author(s) -
Morton Alec,
Adler Amanda I.,
Bell David,
Briggs Andrew,
Brouwer Werner,
Claxton Karl,
Craig Neil,
Fischer Alastair,
McGregor Peter,
Baal Pieter
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.3366
Subject(s) - nice , excellence , health technology , cost–benefit analysis , actuarial science , health care , health economics , medicine , economics , public economics , business , political science , computer science , economic growth , law , programming language
Summary In this editorial, we consider the vexing issue of ‘unrelated future costs’ (for example, the costs of caring for people with dementia or kidney failure after preventing their deaths from a heart attack). The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance is not to take such costs into account in technology appraisals. However, standard appraisal practice involves modelling the benefits of those unrelated technologies. We argue that there is a sound principled reason for including both the costs and benefits of unrelated care. Changing this practice would have material consequences for decisions about reimbursing particular technologies, and we urge future research to understand this better. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.