Approval asks whether a product works and is acceptably safe. Health technology assessment asks a separate question: whether it is worth what a health system would pay for it, compared with what that money would otherwise buy.
We report on how these assessments are made, why the same medicine is funded in one country and not another, and what happens when a regulator and a payer disagree.
Value-based healthcare explained: how outcomes-per-cost differs from fee-for-service, payment models, outcome measurement, evidence to date and known criticisms.
How healthcare regulation works: who regulates professionals, providers, medicines, devices and data, how rules are enforced, and why regulatory systems differ.