Mission
To provide technical guidance on the optimal use of health technologies in the pursuit
of Universal Health Care in the Philippines
Vision
An institution that champions evidence-informed policies and decisions that will enable
Filipinos to access quality, effective, and affordable health technologies.
Core values
Fairness
Inclusiveness
Efficiency
Evidence-based
Scientific rigor
Transparency
Accountability
Goals
To institutionalize and implement HTA as a fair and transparent priority setting
mechanism in the achievement of Universal Health Care by:
Upholding good governance in the implementation of HTA ensuring
adherence to set standards
Producing timely, evidence-based health technology assessment
reports that are responsive to the needs of healthcare policymakers
and providers
Creating a conducive ecosystem for HTA collaboration locally and
internationally
Ensuring an inclusive and effective engagement with all
stakeholders
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.
HTA UNIT
HTA TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT
The HTA Unit Technical Secretariat shall provide the HTA Council with the proper advice
and resources for discharging its duties under the UHC Law. It shall have the following
specific functions and responsibilities:
1. Develop, review, and update the process guide.
2. Prepare the agenda of the HTAC Core and Subcommittee meetings for approval
of the Core Committee and Subcommittee Chairs.
3. Receive topic nominations from different stakeholders ensuring that
submissions adhere to the templates and requirements set in the Process Guide.
4. Ensure that the HTAC discussions, agreements, directives, recommendations,
decisions and other actions are accurately documented through audio recording
and minutes of the meetings, and stored in an easily retrievable manner for
authorized users.
5. Plan, organize, control and set into operation the activities related to the conduct
of meetings of the HTAC and ensure the accurate and faithful preparation of the
minutes, reports or directives in accordance with the agreements and intentions of
the Core Committee and its Subcommittees.
6. Take stock of past and existing HTAC decisions, policies, recommendations,
directives and resolutions and relate these to present matters under HTAC
consideration.
7. Prepare and store Committee/Subcommittee reports and summaries on
recommendations to be signed by the members of HTAC ensuring that they are in
compliance with relevant laws and internal rules and policies of the HTAC.
8. Serve as the custodian of relevant documents and material including the minutes
of the meetings and signed reports/recommendations by the HTAC.
9. Guide the HTAC on the rules of procedure and ensure fidelity that such are during
the conduct of HTAC meetings.
10. Coordinate with health technology sponsors (for additional information or
documents as requested by the HTAC) from the different DOH programs, other
statutory bodies, health professional bodies, hospitals, therapeutics committees,
patient organizations and industry.
HTA POLICY, PLANNING AND
EVALUATION UNIT
The HTA Policy, Planning and Evaluation (PPE) Unit is responsible for the overall
management of the health technology assessment and appraisal program. It has the
following specific functions:
1. Develop, review and update Methods Guide.
2. Conduct and manage internal and external assessments in accordance with the
methods and process guide. This includes production technology appraisal
reports and communicating them to HTA stakeholders.
3. Coordinate with health technology proponents (for scoping and additional
evidence needed in the assessment process) from the different DOH programs,
other statutory bodies, health professional bodies, hospitals, therapeutics
committees, patient organizations and the industry.
4. Produce and communicate technology appraisal reports for different audiences
including policy-makers, health care professionals, patients and the public.
5. Track the progress of appraisals and ensure that they are carried out in
accordance with the standard methods, process and timelines.
6. Liaise with the external assessment teams, expert and patient consultants and
peer reviewers from scoping of the assessments to the preparation of the HTA
reports for the HTAC.
7. Manage all other HTA-related initiatives and projects.
8. Create the overall HTA strategic action plan framework for tracking the progress
of the whole HTA process.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE ACT
The Republic Act No. 11223, also known as the Universal Health Care Act, mandates the
institutionalization of health technology assessment (HTA) as a fair and transparent
priority setting mechanism that shall be recommendatory to the DOH and PhilHealth for
the development of policies and programs, regulation, and the determination of a range
of entitlements such as drugs, medicines, pharmaceutical products, other devices,
procedures and services.
Link to RA 11223: [Link]
11223/
Link to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA
11223: [Link]
[Link]
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER ON HTA
The Administrative Order 2020-0041 with the subject, “The New Implementing
Guidelines on Health Technology Assessment to Guide Funding Allocation and
Coverage Decisions in support of Universal Health Care” aims to define the overall
framework to institutionalize and implement HTA as a priority setting mechanism that
shall be recommendatory to guide DOH and PhilHealth on all coverage and funding
allocation decisions.
The Administrative Order on HTA may be accessed here: [Link]
PHILIPPINE HTA PROCESS GUIDE
The Philippine HTA Process Guide is a reference document detailing the general steps
employed by the HTA Unit of the Department of Health in conducting health technology
assessments. It aims to provide structure, transparency and clarity in the processes
followed by the HTA committee and its subcommittees when undertaking a health
technology appraisal. It also aims to ensure that the HTAC and the HTA Unit are
properly guided in the effective discharge of their functions and responsibilities. At the
same time, it serves as a guide for the stakeholders in terms of the roles and
participation in the processes.
The Philippine HTA Process Guide is an annex of the Administrative Order with the title
“The New Implementing Guidelines on Health Technology Assessment to Guide
Funding Allocation and Coverage Decisions in support of Universal Health Care”.
The Philippine HTA Process Guide can be accessed
here: [Link]
PHILIPPINE HTA METHODS GUIDE
The Philippine HTA Methods Guide is a vital document that aims to provide mandatory
guidance to researchers in conducting HTA. Specifically, it endeavors to provide broad
guidelines in the conduct of HTA and its domains in assessing the clinical, economic,
ethical, legal, social and health systems implications of a specific health technology
and, the production of standard HTA reports for healthcare decision makers and other
target audiences in the health system.
The Philippine HTA Methods Guide is an annex of the Administrative Order with the title
“The New Implementing Guidelines on Health Technology Assessment to Guide
Funding Allocation and Coverage Decisions in support of Universal Health Care”.
The Philippine HTA Methods Guide can be accessed here:
[Link]
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