[Procurement of medical devices based on cost-effectiveness data.]

The field of medical devices is characterized by a paucity of cost-effectiveness data that support their use. In this context, we have proposed a project based on the calculation of net monetary benefit (NMB) for each product subjected to procurement through tenders. This project consists of two steps: 1) calculation of NMB; 2) calculation of a value-based score to be used in the process of procurement and tendering. The NMB is defined as follows: NMB per patient= (monetary threshold of WTP) x (QALYs per patient) - (treatment cost per patient); WTP= willingness to pay]. Its main advantage is represented by the linear relation between NMB and unit price as opposed to the non-linear relationship that links the ICER to the unit price of the device. For all devices included in the same tender lot, our procedure firstly determines the valus of NMB and converts the NMB into a tender score determined on a 0-to-100 scale. The device with the worst pharmacoeconomic profile is assigned a tender score of 0 while the one with the best pharmacoeconomic profile is assigned a tender score of 100.