Aim: Health technology assessment (HTA) is a tool to help the decision-making process. The aim is to describe methods and processes used in the reimbursement decision making for drug-eluting stents (DES) in four different settings.
Methods: DES as a technology under study was selected according to different criteria, all of them agreed by a working group. A survey of key informants was designed.
Results: DES was evaluated following well-structured HTA processes. Nonetheless, scope for improvement was observed in relation to the data considered for the final decision, the transparency and inclusiveness of the process as well as in the methods employed.
Conclusion: An attempt to describe the HTA processes of a well-known medical device.
Keywords: cardiology/cardiovascular; comparative effectiveness research; health technology assessment.