About Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

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.

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 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. See related materials below.