HTA Council (HTAC)
The Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) is an independent advisory body created under the Republic Act 11223, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care Act, with the overall role of providing guidance to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on the coverage of health interventions and technologies to be funded by the government. The mandate of the Council is to undertake technology appraisals by determining their clinical and economic values in the Philippine healthcare system, with the aim to improve overall health outcomes and ensure fairness, equity, and sustainability of coverage for all Filipino citizens. Ethical, legal, social and health system implications are also considered in the assessments. The HTA Council is supported by the HTA Unit in its governance, management and operations for the nation’s goal of achieving safe, effective, efficient, fair, affordable and responsive health care for all Filipinos.
HTAC Core Committee
The HTAC Core Committee is responsible for the development and submission of final recommendations to policy- and decision-makers, based on the evidence appraisal of the different subcommittees. It is composed of nine (9) voting members from different areas of expertise, namely: public health epidemiologist; health economist; ethicist; citizen’s representative; sociologist or anthropologist; clinical trial or research methods expert; clinical epidemiologist or evidence-based medicine expert; medico-legal expert; and public health expert. The Core Committee elected among themselves a chairperson who presides over all HTAC meetings and takes the lead in ensuring that the processes comply with the HTA Process Guide. All Core Committee members are tasked to approve the agenda of the HTAC meetings in consultation with the head of the HTA Unit and the HTA Technical Secretariat, and to ensure that the quality of the evaluations submitted by the assessment teams to the Council adheres to the agreed methodological standards.
HTAC SUBCOMMITTEES
The HTAC Subcommittees support the HTA Core Committee in achieving a timely, effective, efficient and responsive technology appraisal process by performing the initial review of HTA reports and submissions of the industry, assessment teams and other actors that submit evidence to the HTA Council for purposes of technology appraisal. The seven (7) Subcommittees are constituted according to the broad types of health technologies, which include: drugs, vaccines, clinical equipment and devices, medical and surgical procedures, preventive and promotive health services, traditional medicine, and other health technologies. Each Subcommittee has three (3) non-voting members. The Subcommittees are expected to exercise control over the expected quality, quantity, and timeliness of the HTA reports to be submitted to the Core Committee; consider the submissions of the industry, assessment teams, inputs from experts and patients for the preliminary recommendations to the Core Committee; evaluate the compliance of the assessment teams, with the agreed methodological standards in conducting assessments; and review and endorse the initial appraisal report to the HTA Core Committee for final discussion and recommendation.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DRUGS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON VACCINES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON Clinical Equipment and Devices
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MEDICAL AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON PREVENTIVE AND PROMOTIVE HEALTH
