NICE Assuming New Duties, Will Assist NHS With Use of Innovative Medical Devices
The UK's cost containment agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), will soon begin to directly assist the National Health Service (NHS) with the use of innovative new devices, such as surgical implants and diagnostic and monitoring devices, that have been green lighted for reimbursement by NICE.
The new role was recommended by the government in 2011 in its report, "Innovation, Health and Wealth," which called for NICE to assume the duties of the NHS Technology Adoption Center (NTAC). That transfer has since been completed.
The new Health Technologies Adoption Program (HTAP), as the program is now called, will focus on developing 'adoption guides' for the NHS, and assistance for device companies to navigate the complexities of the NHS. The new head of HTAP, Sally Chisholm is quoted as saying that the NHS often lags behind other countries in adopting new medical technologies.