Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: Can It Help Make Value Assessment More Patient Centered?

  • Event Date: Nov. 19, 2020
  • Event Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
  • Event Location: 

Researchers, value assessors, and the patient community agree that conventional approaches to value assessment (VA) often inadequately account for the many dimensions in VA that are important to patients. Researchers have suggested multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as one promising approach to provide a more patient-centered and comprehensive measure of value.

On November 19, the National Health Council and the National Pharmaceutical Council held a webinar, in tandem with the release of a corresponding white paper, to explore topics related to value, patient-centricity, and MCDA.

The objectives of the webinar were to:

  • Discuss what MCDA is, what it entails, and the potential role of MCDA in enhancing patient-centricity in the current landscape of value assessment
  • Demonstrate how to apply MCDA and how the results can vary based on differing preferences and values
  • Review opportunities and challenges associated with developing patient-centered MCDA

Moderator: Elisabeth Oehrlein, PhD, MS, Senior Director, Research & Programs, National Health Council​​​  

  • Kimberly Westrich, MA, Vice President for Health Services Research, National Pharmaceutical Council
  • R. Brett McQueen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Co-Investigator, pValue, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy
  • Jennifer Bright, MPA, Executive Director, Innovation and Value Initiative
  • Anna Hyde, MA, Vice President of Advocacy and Access, Arthritis Foundation

Who should watch? Patients and patient-group staff, as well as researchers, industry, health plans, employers, and value assessment entities who want to learn more about patient-centered MCDA.

Read more on the NHC’s Putting Patients First blog here and on the National Pharmaceutical Council’s blog here.

About The Roundtable

On Feb. 26, 2020, the NHC, in partnership with the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), convened stakeholders from patient, academic, payer, employer, biopharmaceutical-industry, and value assessment organizations, and facilitated a Roundtable dialogue on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Attendees participated in an MCDA case-example activity and group discussions that were preceded by expert panels and a keynote presentation. The group discussions highlighted the opportunities MCDA provides to amplify the patient’s voice in value assessment and decision-making, but also the challenges. Read the white paper summarizing findings from the Roundtable here

About MCDA

An overarching goal in value/health technology assessment (V/HTA) is to assess clinical evidence, costs, and social and ethical impacts in structured and standardized ways. V/HTA should be transparent and include high-quality data on aspects of care and outcomes that are important to patients and other stakeholders whenever such data exist. Researchers, value assessors, and the patient community agree that conventional approaches to value assessment often inadequately account for the many dimensions of value. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Value Assessment Framework Special Task Force suggested multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as one promising approach to aggregate the different dimensions of value. As the health care community continues to develop MCDA, it is important that we understand how the patient voice can be best incorporated. This project sought to identify and encourage use of known best and evolving good practices for capturing the patient voice through MCDA as part of the evolution in V/HTA methodology.