The European Health Technology Institute

The European Health Technology Institute for Socio-Economic Research (EHTI) is an independent research institute, composed of high-profile European universities (Università Bocconi and the London School of Economics), policymakers and industry, represented by Eucomed. Launched in October 2007 with the objective of addressing the lack of evidence on the economic value of medical technology, it aims to demonstrate:

• That medical technology plays a key role in improving health outcomes and quality of life
• That there is more to assessing value than price alone, and that focusing simply on cost-containment may actually jeopardise savings and will not yield long-term benefits
• That the value of medical technology should be measured on both its value to the healthcare sector and to the wider national and European economies

Research by EHTI has already demonstrated that investing in medical technology makes a genuine difference. For example, the use of total hip replacement therapy or coronary stents has been shown to improve both health outcomes and quality of life for patients; minimally-invasive surgery provides greater cost-effectiveness in the hospital setting than traditional surgery.

The work of EHTI has been widely recognised, notably by both national governments and the European Commission. The Commission has publicly noted that the EHTI approach to assessment “identifies the right way forward to promote both the innovativeness of the medical devices sector and the access of patients to new technologies” and that EHTI is playing an important role in promoting the interests of patients.

The Research Institute will continue to develop innovative research on procurement, reimbursement, and the socio-economic value of medical technology, striving to provide evidence to create a policy environment that allows the medical technology industry to deliver its full potential.

As it was the case during the first phase of its research programme (2007-2010), ETHI’s 2011 research programme is centred on 3 main themes:

• Financing of medical technologies
• The socio-economic value of medical devices
• The procurement of medical devices<.li>

The seven new research projects selected by the EHTI Board focus on three sectors (Orthopaedics, cardiovascular and wound care) and are conducted by EHTI in partnership with the London School of Economics (LSE) and Università Bocconi.