3.14.2013

The UK NHS struggles to implement VBP

Dear All,

an interesting article from the Financial Times elaborating on the issues around VBP. It doesn't surprise me at all that they find it difficult to implement such a system. Indeed the danger is that VBP becomes a buzzword if things are left unclear and do not progress well. Interesting to see the German system is being eyed on, it does make more sense to move towards some sort of "negotiation based approach" relying on multiple criteria after a clinical appraisal rather than trying to square the circle with some sort of modified QALY threshold system. About two years ago I brought some of the top academics together to think about what a VBP could look like and I remember how difficult it was to get a bunch of real experts on pricing matters to agree on something that can be made operational. In the end of the day it maybe not so different with some form of price/profit control a la the PPRS plus some sort of system that expands on the cost/QALY threshold a little. Interesting for sure how this will unfold further.

Cheers
Ulf