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August 01, 2004
What Could be Nicer Than NICE?
Author: A Williams
ISBN: 1 899040 03 X
Publisher: Office for Health Economics
Published: August 2004
This book provides the full text of Professor Alan Williams' OHE Annual Lecture 2004. He discusses a number of controversial issues about the role of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). He argues that: NICE is not a quasi-judicial authority dispensing justice, as commonly believed, but rather is a watchdog protecting the interests of the general public. The £30,000 per QALY threshold in NICE's technology appraisals needs further investigation given that in the UK average national income per person is £18,000, which provides for all the needs of an average citizen (food, shelter, transport, education) in each year. NICE's clinical guidelines need strengthening with decision-analytic expertise, mapping the whole health care territory in a systematic way. This should include information on everyone who enters the system even if they choose to opt out of the NHS. NICE's Clinical Guidelines, and not just their technology appraisals, should be based on cost-effectiveness criteria, including QALYs, so that NICE can make comparative judgements across diseases and so that the clinical and technology appraisal cost-effectiveness benchmarks are consistent
Price: GBP £10.00
To order contact Liz Aulsford (44-207-930-9203) or visit the OHE Web Site
