PEOPLE

Research Director: Prof. Francesco Saverio Mennini

The group of researchers involved in the Economic Evaluation, HTA and Corruption in Health (EEHTA) research activity includes Francesco Saverio Mennini, Andrea Marcellusi, Lara Gitto, Simone Russo, Patrizia Giannantoni, Raffaella Viti, Paolo Sciattella, Chiara Bini, Alessandro Capone, Gianluca Fabiano, Annalisa Luciani, Stefano Cavallo, Giampiero Favato, Daniele Rossi, Francesco D’Ambrosio, Francesco Cerza e Claudia Nardone.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of our research group is to develop advanced methodologies for an economic assessment of health interventions and facilitate the circulation of scientific knowledge between researchers and public health decision-makers. In a context of limited resources, health care systems have to improve formal processes to determine whether or not new health technologies provide good value for money. Our activity consists in producing Health Technology Assessment (HTA) reports, Economic assessment of health interventions and empirical economic studies to support pricing and reimbursement process. Decisions are always taken under conditions of uncertainty, and the main scope of our group is to minimize (or quantify) this uncertainty. The research group is working, both at national and international level, on corruption and health.

RESEARCH PROJECTS AND RESEARCH AREAS

The EEHTA group has been involved in several national and international research activities. The main research topic focuses on the design and development of micro and macro health economic evaluations. With reference to those analysis EEHTA has several collaborations with the Ministry of Health (www.sanita.it), the Italian Regional Agency for Health Care Services (www.agenas.it), Regions, regulatory agencies (www. agenziafarmaco.gov.it) and many hospitals concerning data management and statistical analyses of observational and retrospective studies and regulatory research centre (www.essecieffe.it). The research group develops decision models and performs cost-effectiveness evaluations, burden of disease and budget impact estimations at international, national and regional level and regulatory affairs and pharmaco vigilance.

RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS

Collaborations pertaining to on a wide range of projects have been established with the Institute of Leadership and Management in Health at Kingston University London, UK (Prof. Giampiero Favato and dr. Alessandro Capone); the Department of Statistical Science, University College London, UK, and Biostatistics Unit, Department of Statistics, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy (Prof. Gianluca Baio); the Department of International Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA (Prof. Taryn Vian).

PUBLICATIONS

The EEHTA group published a large number of articles and book chapters. The group collected a remarkable number of publications in major international journals focused on health economics, economics, econometrics, statistics, clinical research and prevention such as: PlosOne, PhamrmacoEconomics, International Journal Of Technology Assessment In Health Care, CMRO, Health Economics, Health Policy, Vaccine, Clinical Therapeutics, BMJ Open, Medical Care, Gynecology Oncology, The Journal of Headache And Pain, Annals of Oncology.

Economic Observatory on Multiple Sclerosis (OESM)

The Economic Observatory on Multiple Sclerosis (OESM) represents, in the National context, the first Research and Study Center entirely dedicated to the joint and coordinated realization of initiatives, activities and programs related to research projects aimed at the analysis and economic evaluation of Multiple Sclerosis in Italy and the development of innovative interventions for the governance and sustainability of the Multiple Sclerosis care sector.

The collaboration will take the form of a series of initiatives mainly related to the design and development of economic models related to the exploitation of direct health, direct non-health and indirect costs, with particular attention to the costs for the Social Security System (INPS) of Multiple Sclerosis in Italy .

The evidences and results deriving from the aforementioned research projects will be finalized, by way of example and not exhaustively, to:

  • create publications, productions for conferences, conferences, information materials, etc .;
  • to merge and feed the AISM Barometer of Multiple Sclerosis;
  • to substantiate the advocacy actions and affirmation of the rights of AISM also with a view to supporting the presentation of projects, initiatives and models for the improvement of health and care responses, and of the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis.

The institutions involved are CEIS, AISM and INPS.