Organization of the meeting

On November 7, 8 and 9, 2022, the XIII Regional Meeting of the Health Technology Assessment Network of the Americas (RedETSA) was held in the city of Brasilia, Brazil. The event was organized in conjunction with the III Congress of the Brazilian Network for Health Technology Assessment – Rebrats. Representatives from 18 countries discussed the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process at all stages of the life cycle of technologies, to address the challenges of their incorporation into health systems. 

Central axis and topics discussed

On the first day and a half, open scientific sessions were held, organized according to the different stages of the life cycle of health technologies (regulation-evaluation-incorporation-use-monitoring). 311 people participated in person and 228 people participated virtually thanks to the direct transmission of the event. 

Under different formats, the following sessions were held: two major presentations with international speakers, an information session to strengthen HTA capacities, three round tables of country experiences representing the different moments in the life cycle of health technologies: pre- evaluation, evaluation and decision-making for incorporation, and post-incorporation processes of health technologies in health systems. In addition, four presentation panels were also developed with subsequent discussion on value frameworks in HTA in the decision-making processes, estimation and use of thresholds in the incorporation of health technologies, adaptive HTA, and performance analysis and monitoring of the technologies. incorporated. 

Closed meeting of RedETSA members

On November 9, the closed meeting of RedETSA members was held. The main objectives of the Closed Meeting of RedETSA members were to continue advancing in the institutionalization of the Health Technology Assessment in the Americas as a mechanism to inform health coverage decision-making with evidence, as well as to establish RedETSA's work plan for 2023. 43 people from 32 member institutions participated, representing 15 countries in the Region. PAHO, in its role as Secretariat of the Network, carried out an update of the network including activities in development and updates on the Regional Base of Health Technology Assessment Reports of the Americas (BRISA). The four working groups of RedETSA (Medical Devices, Adaptation of STD Reports, Equity and Real World Evidence) presented their updates and progress to the rest of the members of the Network. During the second day of the closed meeting, presentations and exchanges were held with two national STD networks: the Spanish Network of STD Agencies (RedETS) and the Brazilian Network for Health Technology Assessment (Rebrats). The delegates from the countries with progress in the institutionalization of the HTA as a tool for decision-making presented their experiences to the rest of the Network. They spoke about the creation of RENETSA in Peru, the progress in SISALRIL in the Dominican Republic, the creation of the STD Agency in Uruguay and the recent creation of the National STD Directorate in the Ministry of Health of Ecuador. Towards the close of the members' meeting, the 2023 Work Plan for RedETSA was discussed and jointly developed. On the last day, RedETSA representatives attended the Plenary Session of the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Brazilian Unified Health System (CONITEC).