OBJECTIVES:

As part of the deliberations during the annual process of updating the National List of Health Services (NLHS) in Israel, the committee reviews hundreds of technologies that are candidates for coverage and reimbursement. These include pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical technologies (NPTs) (e.g., medical devices, medical procedures, laboratory and imaging tests). The wide variety of NPTs, the limited scientific evidence and the difficulty in assessing the extent of use, constitute a challenge for their inclusion in the NLHS. We examined the inclusion of NPTs in the NLHS.

METHODS

: All technologies that were included in the NLHS updating process from 2009-2018 were reviewed. We collected information on the type of technology, therapeutic field, and the budget allocated.

RESULTS

: CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the NLHS updating budget has been allocated to the inclusion of pharmaceuticals, but of the technologies evaluated, the chances of NPTs to be included in the NLHS is higher. The committee is able to overcome the challenges in evaluating NPTs and balance between the inclusion of pharmaceuticals and NPTs. The findings should be examined compared to other countries’ listing and reimbursement decisions, and, if necessary, to maintain/improve the existing process in Israel.