Bookmark & ShareFor Immediate Release: 11/07/2011
Contact: Jim Stevenson, Communications, HCA, jim.stevenson@hca.wa.gov 360-725-1915; Sharon Michael, Communications, HCA, sharon.michael@hca.wa.gov 360-923-2764
OLYMPIA – The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program has published a list of medical technologies and procedures proposed for review by a committee of practicing health care clinicians during the coming year.
The HTA is accepting public comments on potential medical technologies that will be considered by the Director of the Health Care Authority.
The Director, in consultation with state agency medical directors, will make a final selection from the list, which is posted in detail on the Health Care Authority website at http://www.hta.hca.wa.gov/documents/2012AdministratorSelection.pdf Technologies on the proposed list:
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing
- Ablation procedures for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), including sinus tachycardia
- Carotid artery stenting
- Cervical level fusion for degenerative disk disease
- Cochlear implants (bi vs. unilateral)
- Fecal DNA testing for colon cancer screening
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for wound care and brain injury
- Oncotype DX for breast cancer and colon cancer risk recurrence prediction
- Tomotherapy, intensity modulated radiation
- Cardiac nuclear imaging
- Vitamin D testing for routine screening and monitoring
- Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) array genetic test for developmental disabilities
HTA will take public comment on the list through 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 15. For information about how to submit comments, please visit HTA’s website: http://www.hta.hca.wa.gov/ipp.html.
The Health Technology Assessment program was created by the state Legislature to review and evaluate health care technologies to ensure that there is solid evidence that they are safe, effective, and provide value equivalent to cost. HTA’s decisions determine whether state health programs, including Medicaid, Basic Health, Corrections, and Labor and Industries, will pay for the technologies or procedures.
The program improves the quality of state purchased health care. Overall, the committee’s work has saved the state more than $31 million annually in cost avoidance for unproven, ineffective, or unsafe medical care since its creation by the Legislature in 2007.
Quarterly meetings of the HTA’s Clinical Committee are open to the public. Go to http://www.hta.hca.wa.gov/schedule.html for information about future committee meetings.
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