Applications of health technology assessment in value-based management of total health expenditure

Unreasonable growth of total health expenditure at various extent has been found to be prevalent among many countries for a long time. Thus how to deal with this global public health challenge has become a hot topic among the consumers, providers, and payers alike. Echoing the global trend of value-based healthcare, value-based management of total health expenditure could be a direction of cost containment in the future. Through promoting the rational development of healthcare industry, assisting the decision-making of health insurance authority, improving health authority′s supervision of health technology allocation and utilization, maximizing resource utilization efficiency at hospitals, standardizing physician practices, guiding patients′ medication preferences and behaviors, health technology assessment could mobilize stakeholders′ participation in the value-based management of total health expenditure and serve as an important decision-making tool to optimize the allocation and utilization of scarce health resources, reducing and avoiding waste in healthcare sector, and promoting high-value and sustainable development of total health expenditure. Key words: Technology assessment, biomedical; Health technology assessment; Value-based healthcare; Total health expenditure; Health insurance