Innovation and Health Technology Assessment:
Improving Health System Quality  

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Region of Veneto would like to announce the next edition of their annual Observatory Venice Summer School which will take place on the island of San Servolo 26 -31 July, 2009.

Topic: The 2009 school will look at the role of innovation and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as tools for improving quality and outcomes of health care. The course will have an emphasis on HTA, its implications and the associated demands as regards information, including identifying when innovation or new research is needed. It will bridge the gaps between generalist system planning; specialist HTA expertise; and the impact on practitioners of HTA led developments.

Objectives: Specifically, the Summer School aims to develop a greater understanding of (1) the challenges of innovation in health technologies and health care delivery – and how to ensure that services are safe, effective, appropriate and cost-effective, (2) how evidence and context interact and (3) how evidence impacts on clinical practice and on policy processes.

Outline: It will address systems for developing and assessing health care products (drugs, diagnostics and devices) as well as clinical and policy interventions, such as regulatory approval, reimbursement systems, national guidance or guidelines. Discussion will cover differences between context free and context dependent knowledge and the integration of scientific and “colloquial” evidence. Finally, it will look at how evidence is used and how HTA and innovation contribute to quality improvement programmes and strategies.

Target audience: The Summer School is intended for senior to mid-level policy-makers and more junior professionals who are making careers in policy and management at a regional, national or European level. It is targeting (1) general health policy planners and managers who want to set up and use regulatory or other systems to improve the performance of their health care system; (2) the producers of HTA who have to interact with mainstream planners; and (3) the professional groups and managers who are considering introducing HTA to inform decision processes.

All participants should be working in institutions with decision-making powers whether government or nongovernmental (e.g. ministries, directorates, national health institutes, federal committees), relevant provider or payer associations (such as insurance boards, hospitals or hospital federations, management boards) or public HTA agencies or professional bodies. Applications are welcome from all countries across the European Region and the programme will be tailored so far as is possible, to the mix of participants.

Faculty: The course will be led by Professor Reinhard Busse, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and Berlin University of Technology, and John-Arne Røttingen of the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services and European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, with international experts and practitioners serving as lecturers and facilitators.

Organization: Applications with CVs will be invited in a formal announcement shortly. A selection process will follow and a limited number of bursaries will be available.

Accreditation: The Summer School is accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) and therefore counts towards ongoing professional development in all EU Member States.

For more details, visit www.observatorysummerschool.org