20 years of the Health Technology Assessment Agency: Polish health policy in numbers

Abstract Issue/problem The Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT), established in 2005, assists the Polish Ministry of Health in decision-making regarding the financing of medical and non-medical services within the healthcare system. Description of the problem Since 2010, the AOTMiT reviews Health Policy Programs (HPPs), outlined in Polish law and implemented by Local Government Units (LGUs) or ministries. Since 2017 to implement policy, an LGUs must obtain a positive opinion from the President of the AOTMiT. The AOTMiT can also issue President's recommendations, providing ready-made solutions to standardize LGUs actions and ensure evidence-based interventions. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive summary of 20 years of AOTMiT's activities in the field of HPPs and its impact on the development of health policies in Poland. Results Over these 20 years, the AOTMiT's goal has been to support the decision-making process in the healthcare system by providing comprehensive health technology assessment (HTA) information. Until April 2025, the AOTMiT has issued 2,790 opinions on HPPs and made 27 recommendations. The majority of the HPPs focused on vaccinations (>1,000), oncology (nearly 400), rehabilitation (>300), dentistry (>150), and in vitro fertilization (>100). For most of these health issues, recommendations were issued later - standardized the actions taken by LGUs. LGUs are also required to submit a final report to AOTMiT, detailing outcomes and evaluating the effectiveness of actions. From 2018 to 2025 - 971 final reports were submitted. Lessons AOTMiT as a Polish public HTA institution, through complex HPPs assessment, provide better quality of HPPs development, implementation and evaluation. Key messages • The mission of the AOTMiT is to make the healthcare system more efficient. What has been demonstrated over 20 years. • AOTMiT creates health policy in Poland by issuing key recommendations and HPPs opinions.