Economic evaluation in the health care decision making process: The case of England

Economic evaluation plays an increasingly important role in the health decision making process. Many countries, mainly developed ones, have incorporated these kinds of methodologies in their priority setting processes. The creation of NICE in England is one of the clearer examples of how economic evaluations can be incorporated in a systematic, structured and explicit way, having a strong influence on what is or what is not finally priding by the National health Service (NHS). Although in Latin America the development and use of economic evaluations is neither massive nor systematic, there have been significant advances in recent years. Examples of this are the cases of Mexico and Chile. These two countries have incorporated economic criteria in the priority setting process and the selection of interventions in the context of their health reforms. Alternatives to go further in the incorporation of these kinds of approaches in Latin American countries are the generalizability and transferability Even though these options must be considered with caution, they allow to apply in different settings the results of studies developed in specific settings..(Rev Med Chile 2010; 138 (Supl 2): 103-107).