OBJECTIVES: Early development of HTA in Italy has been mainly hospital-based (HB HTA). HB HTA can support administrative procedures increasing transparency and promoting the bottom-up awareness around HTA principles. Whether HTA has an impact on actual hospital expenditure and consumption of health technologies, particularly medical devices (MDs), has not been investigated. This research aimed at exploring potential HB HTA’s impact on purchased MDs, once assessed its diffusion in Italy. METHODS: We run a survey, based on a semi structured on line questionnaire, on a sample of Italian Healthcare trusts, asking for 2008-2009 data about consumption and unitary costs of a class of MDs (e.g. coronary stents) and HTA activities. HB HTA’s activities have been surveyed in terms of diffusion and structural/organizational characteristics. We assessed in a multivariate analysis whether an association exists between the implementation of HTA activities and MDs diffusion at the local level.  RESULTS: Given 46 respondents, located in 15 Italian Regions, 22 (48%) have a commission for MDs. Commissions meet almost monthly and encompass on average 10 members (SD=5.4). On average there are 2 pharmacists (SD=1.13); 3 medical doctors (SD=2.91) and 1 clinical engineer (SD=2.9). About 60% of the Commissions produce evaluation forms and repertory, whereas about 40% produce hospital guidelines and other documents to support procurement activities.  A preliminary analysis of HB HTA’s characteristics shows that the perception on the importance of HTA in a hospital may depend on the presence/absence of the organizational structure (such as defined HTA Commission) and a correlation exists between expenditures/volumes of coronary stents and level of importance of “economic” aspects in HTA. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest HTA could potentially impact on health technologies’ uptake and expenditure when realized within the hospital setting, stimulating collaboration between different units and actors, thus providing local healthcare managers with a useful tool for budget control and planning.