Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: To explore NHS stakeholder perspectives on willingness to pay for an AI-based tool using qualitative methods, and to translate these insights into pricing thresholds through a structured quantitative framework—informing cost-effectiveness analysis across pricing, threshold, and diagnostic performance scenarios.
METHODS: A mixed-methods design was used to link qualitative stakeholder insights with quantitative economic evaluation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with NHS clinicians, digital leads, procurement leads, and regional decision-makers to explore acceptability, perceived value, and pricing expectations for an AI-based tool. Interview findings informed the application of the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter to estimate optimal and acceptable price thresholds. These thresholds were incorporated into a decision-analytic cost-effectiveness model under varying assumptions. Scenario-based and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate cost-effectiveness across a range of pricing and diagnostic performance conditions. Model inputs—including unit costs, clinical probabilities, and outcome estimates—were based on NHS reference costs, NICE guidance, and published literature on effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy.
RESULTS: Van Westendorp analysis identified stakeholder-informed price thresholds reflecting perceived value and affordability. These thresholds informed cost-effectiveness assessment across multiple pricing and diagnostic performance scenarios. Sensitivity analyses—including scenario-based and probabilistic methods—examined how variations in price and performance influenced incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and net monetary benefit. The modelling demonstrated that stakeholder-derived parameters could be operationalised within the economic framework, and highlighted key pricing inflection points that shaped the likelihood of cost-effectiveness under NHS-relevant conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates how stakeholder-informed willingness-to-pay insights, derived through qualitative engagement and the Van Westendorp method, can be integrated into early cost-effectiveness modelling. The mixed-methods framework provides a practical approach to aligning pricing decisions with perceived value, affordability, and NHS procurement priorities—supporting value-based adoption strategies for emerging health technologies.