Professor Brendon Kearney

Agency:

HealthPACT

Job Title:

Executive Director, Clinical Systems

Organisation:

HealthPACT

Tel:

+61 8 8226 6215

Fax:

+61 8 8226 0725

Email:

Brendon.Kearney@health.sa.gov.au

Website:

http://www.horizonscanning.gov.au

Address:

Department of Human Services, PO Box 287, Rundle Mall , Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia

Agency Member Since:

30/5/2004

Additional Contacts:

Mandy Forster

EAAS Name:

ANZHSN

EAAS Host Organisation:

HPACT

Country and/or Region:

Australia

Year EAAS formally established:

2003

EAAS Status:

Temporary (i.e. fixed term funding)

EAAS Main Output Language:

English

EAAS Description:

Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA) and ASERNIPS are engaged by HPACT to provide it with Horizon Scanning . AHTA is contracted to provide HS for diagnostics, devices and health programmes and ASERNIPS provides HS for surgical interventions. Pharmaceuticals are not assessed . The literature, web sites and news are scanned for potential new technologies. Identified technologies must satisfy pre-defined criteria or a “priority threshold”: i. It is associated with obvious safety or ethical issues or controversies ii. It has not been assessed and is rapidly diffusing throughout the Australian health system iii. It is applicable to a large proportion of the Australian population and may have considerable clinical or cost impact, or iv. It is applicable to a small proportion of the population but has obvious and far-reaching benefits. Furthermore, technologies must be deemed to be emerging into the Australian health system within a three year time horizon. Once a technology has been identified and has satisfied the priority threshold, a brief summary is prepared (4-6 pages in length) covering safety, effectiveness, costs, burden of disease etc. These summaries are submitted to a Committee, HealthPACT, which comprises health policy makers from each Australian state and territory as well as New Zealand. HealthPACT decides whether or not technologies require further investigation and may consider commissioning a more in-depth Horizon Scanning Report. They may also decide that insufficient information on a particular technology is currently available and therefore the technology should be monitored in 6 or 12 months time for additional information. Sufficient information may have been gathered from the summary and this information would then be distributed to the jurisdictions. AHTA and ASERNIPS are contracted to supply six Prioritising Summaries and one Horizon Scanning Report per quarter.

Main source of funding:

Other: Australian Government - Australian Health Ministers Advisory Committee

Purpose of EAAS:

• To inform decisions on coverage or reimbursement of health services
• Other:
• To forewarn policy makers about emerging technologies

Types of technologies covered by EAAS:

• Devices (including imaging equipment)
• Diagnostics (diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers)
• Programmes (e.g. screening and vaccination programmes)
• Health care settings (e.g. organisational changes, professional boundaries)

Main customers of EAAS:

• National Government Health Departments & Ministers
• Regional, State or Provincial Government
• Other:
• New Zealand Ministry of Health and the NZ District Health Boards

Contents of Main Output from EAAS:

• Safety and efficacy
• Assessment of clinical effectiveness