Costs and benefits in patients with NYHA class III heart failure treated with CardioMEMS in Italy.

BACKGROUND: CardioMEMS is a device suitable for telemedicine that is currently being evaluated by the Regional Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Committee of Tuscany. Two detailed HTA reports are available in the specialized literature, the results of which need to be transferred to our regional setting. These decisions in Tuscany are made by the so-called Centro Operativo HTA.

AIM: To validate, with local cost-effectiveness data, the decision on CardioMEMS that will be made in the Tuscany region.

METHODS: Two detailed international HTA reports were rearranged and adapted to our regional setting to generate a simplified analysis that could form the basis of our decision. Two willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of €20,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and €50,000/QALY were considered.

RESULTS: Based on epidemiological and regulatory information, the target population in Tuscany for this device is 166 cases. The value-based price of CardioMEMS is estimated to be €4,332 and €16,662 at WTP thresholds of 20,000/QALY and 50,000/QALY, respectively. Its current price in Italy is €12,000.

CONCLUSION: In our region, the introduction of CardioMEMS is likely to be gradual, around 50 patients/year (or €0.60 million/year at current price). This example highlights the need to adapt the information published in the international literature to the local context in which the approval decision is made. In this context, simplified analyses are easier to apply than complex Markov models.