REGIONAL ROADMAP FOR VALUE-BASED HEALTHCARE: EXPERT PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION PATHWAYS IN MENA
Author(s)
Khalid A. Alnaqbi, MSc, MD1, Abdulrazak Aljazairy, PhD2, Amna Ibrahim Almuaini, MSc, PharmD3, Grace Jennings, PhD4, HALEIMAH SALEM ALI SALEM ALDHANHANI, BSc, MSc5, Ibrahim Alabbadi, MBA, RPh, PhD6, Khadeija Almarshoudi, PhD7, Mahmoud M. Tolba, BSc, MSc8, Mohamed Farghaly, PhD9, Nadia Al Mazrouei, PhD10, Sahar Fahmy, PhD11, Sahar Hassan, BSc; MS12, Samar Mansour, PhD13, Mohamed Tannira, BSc, MSc13.
1Division of Rheumatology, Sheikh Tahnoon Medical City, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 2Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative Division, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 3Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Medical City Hospital, Alain, United Arab Emirates, 4Outcomes Research and Product Development, International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), London, United Kingdom, 5Pharmacy Department, Fujairah Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 6Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan, Amman, Jordan, 7Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8Health Evidence & HEOR Department, Stellar Consulting MEA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9Dubai Medical College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 10Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 11Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12Health Evidence & HEOR Department, Stellar Consulting MEA, Dubai, Egypt, 13ISPOR UAE Chapter, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
1Division of Rheumatology, Sheikh Tahnoon Medical City, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 2Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative Division, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 3Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Medical City Hospital, Alain, United Arab Emirates, 4Outcomes Research and Product Development, International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), London, United Kingdom, 5Pharmacy Department, Fujairah Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 6Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan, Amman, Jordan, 7Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 8Health Evidence & HEOR Department, Stellar Consulting MEA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9Dubai Medical College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 10Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 11Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 12Health Evidence & HEOR Department, Stellar Consulting MEA, Dubai, Egypt, 13ISPOR UAE Chapter, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
OBJECTIVES: To establish expert-consensus recommendations for policy, reimbursement, governance, operational, and equity-focused changes required for sustainable, outcome-oriented care delivery in MENA.
METHODS: A structured qualitative expert-consensus study was conducted, reporting per COREQ guidelines. A purposive sample with maximum variation strategy of 15 multidisciplinary stakeholders - including government policymakers, payers, providers, pharmacists, academics, and regulators - was recruited. Consensus was determined via iterative polling (≥85% agreement on Likert-scale responses). Discussions focused on five domains: reimbursement models, data infrastructure, governance frameworks, operational implementation, and equity/trust. Responses were synthesized using inductive thematic analysis mapped against the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
RESULTS: Participants achieved consensus (100%) that funding must transition from volume to outcomes using standardized KPIs, Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs). Experts identified HTA, budget impact analysis, and managed entry agreements (MEAs) as essential for high-cost therapy decision-making (90% consensus). Regarding governance, 100% of participants emphasized that regulatory leadership is required to standardize KPI frameworks, de-risk implementation through piloting, and align financial incentives. Equity was prioritized, with 85% of experts recommending that access metrics be embedded into payment incentives from inception to protect vulnerable populations.
CONCLUSIONS: VBHC requires simultaneous alignment of financial incentives, standardized measurement, and robust governance. A consensus-driven, four-phase roadmap was proposed: (Phase 1) standardize KPI/data definitions; (Phase 2) launch bundled payment pilots with robust risk adjustment; (Phase 3) integrate HTA/MEAs for specialty access; and (Phase 4) scale models under regulatory oversight. Sustainable VBHC in MENA requires political commitment, regulatory leadership, and multi-sector investment in data infrastructure and workforce to transition from concept to operational reality.
METHODS: A structured qualitative expert-consensus study was conducted, reporting per COREQ guidelines. A purposive sample with maximum variation strategy of 15 multidisciplinary stakeholders - including government policymakers, payers, providers, pharmacists, academics, and regulators - was recruited. Consensus was determined via iterative polling (≥85% agreement on Likert-scale responses). Discussions focused on five domains: reimbursement models, data infrastructure, governance frameworks, operational implementation, and equity/trust. Responses were synthesized using inductive thematic analysis mapped against the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
RESULTS: Participants achieved consensus (100%) that funding must transition from volume to outcomes using standardized KPIs, Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs). Experts identified HTA, budget impact analysis, and managed entry agreements (MEAs) as essential for high-cost therapy decision-making (90% consensus). Regarding governance, 100% of participants emphasized that regulatory leadership is required to standardize KPI frameworks, de-risk implementation through piloting, and align financial incentives. Equity was prioritized, with 85% of experts recommending that access metrics be embedded into payment incentives from inception to protect vulnerable populations.
CONCLUSIONS: VBHC requires simultaneous alignment of financial incentives, standardized measurement, and robust governance. A consensus-driven, four-phase roadmap was proposed: (Phase 1) standardize KPI/data definitions; (Phase 2) launch bundled payment pilots with robust risk adjustment; (Phase 3) integrate HTA/MEAs for specialty access; and (Phase 4) scale models under regulatory oversight. Sustainable VBHC in MENA requires political commitment, regulatory leadership, and multi-sector investment in data infrastructure and workforce to transition from concept to operational reality.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
HTA74
Topic
Health Policy & Regulatory, Health Technology Assessment, Organizational Practices
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas