Case Team Perspective on HI-NL Round Tables: Interview with Manuela Joore
Manuela Joore is currently head of the department of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment at Maastricht UMC+ and holds a chair in Health Technology Assessment. She is involved in HI-NL as an ambassador and case team lead. She was interviewed about her experience with HI-NL round tables from a case team perspective.
Can you tell a bit more about your role within HI-NL?
"I am an ambassador of Hi-NL and a case lead and one of the founders. Working together with Maroeska Rovers and Carl Moons and others to make this happen has been a great journey. As an ambassador I try to live the mission of HI-NL: support innovators to help them develop more rapidly medical technology that is safe, affordable and with a proven patient benefit. In my daily work in the field of health technology assessment (HTA) I am deeply committed to increase the value of health care to society. I constantly meet physicians, basic researchers, innovators and policy makers, and bring HI-NL to their attention. We have such a great potential in the Netherlands to develop and implement valuable medical technologies, I am very proud to be able to support that through HI-NL"
Who would you recommend a HI-NL Round Table to?
"I recommend a Round Table to innovators who have a MedTech product in development and have questions regarding the further development and/or bringing it to the market. The Round Table brings together all relevant stakeholders to discuss the potential value of their product and the path they will have to follow to bring it successfully to the market. These insights have already proven to be invaluable to support investment decisions."
What is the role of the case team in preparation for a Round Table?
"The case team consists of experienced HTA researchers, each with a PhD in the field. They perform desk research to answer a series of important questions: for which patients and with problem is the innovation intended, how are these patients currently treated and what are the expected impacts on health outcomes and costs? The case team assesses and appraises all information they find regarding these topics. This will reveal the claims the innovator can make for their product, the (potential) nature and magnitude of the value the innovation may bring, and also the gaps in knowledge that are still there. The case team does this in close collaboration with the innovator and develops a report as well as a summary presentation that will be shown during the round table to guide the discussion."
What is the added value of a Round Table with all relevant stakeholders at the table?
"The added value is tremendous. There are many stakeholders when you want to bring a MedTech product to the market: patients, health care professionals, insurers, health authorities and regulators. They all have different views and are likely to send you in different directions. Many innovators complain they are sent from pillar to post; or not knowing whom to ask what question exactly. So much is unclear. This is solved in the Round Table as all stakeholders discuss your product together and formulate an integrated advice. This is extremely helpful and can save a lot of time. And we can organize that for you!"
You have chaired a Round Table session, what can you tell about your personal experience with a HI-NL Round Table session?
"Yes, I chaired a session and that was a great afternoon, I still remember it very vividly. Every stakeholder at the table was first of all marveled by the potential of the innovation and hence fully committed to think about the best path to follow to bring it to the market fast and successfully. Mind you, representatives of these stakeholders are rarely together in one room: for them it is special too. There was a “can do” atmosphere, critical but constructive and very respectful for each other’s perspectives and roles. I of course anticipated that the round table would be valuable, but it exceeded my expectations. It is so amazing what can happen when you bring people together who are committed to the same goal: value for patients."
Source: HI-NL
