History and structure
The Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t) was established in 1999 by the Galician Regional Government. Avalia-t is a unit of the Department of Health and has a director and multidisciplinary staff. 

Mission
Our main goal is to promote the introduction, dissemination and use of health technologies using clinically proven efficacy, effectiveness and safety criteria. We also support the decision-making process by providing the best available evidence into account on the technologies clinical, economic, social, ethic and legal impact, including patients preferences. We also elaborate on clinical practice guidelines and support relevant assessment studies.

How AVALIA-T works
Systematic reviews are our main product. Basically, we work at the request of directive entities of the Galician Department of Health. However, we also work for other public entities. Avalia-t plays a relevant role in supporting primary studies and systematic reviews on health technologies at the national level. All of our HTA reports include internal and external reviews and are always based on the best available scientific evidence. Avalia-t supports monitoring of new health technologies before their final approval and undertakes  follow up activities of new health technologies to establish its utilization once they have been introduced into clinical practice guidelines and have established an early warning system (Detecta-t) for the detection of New and Emerging Health Technologies. 

Dissemination activities
All of our HTA assessment reports are free of charge and can be downloaded from our webpage http://avalia-t.sergas.es. When we finish a report we send notification by e-mail to all professionals associated with the technology assessed and also to the managers of health services. Some of our reports are published in scientific journals or institutional publications. All technical reports can be obtained upon request.

Current projects (a selection)

• Methodological guidelines for identification, prioritization and assessment of obsolete health technologies or obsolete indications in Spain
• Methodological guidelines for appropriate follow-up of new health technologies after their introduction in the health care system
• Intrapartum care of health women: systematic review of the literature
• Screening information to users: assessment of current situation and establishment of evidence-based information standards of cancer screening in women
• Information to parents about neonatal screening for inborn errors of metabolism: assessment of current situation and establishment evidence-based information standards
• Lung cancer screening
• Protocols for the dissemination of technology assessment products
• National networks for identification, prioritization and early assessment of new and emerging health technologies
• Clinical Practice Guideline: depression in children and young people

Future plans

• To improve dissemination of HTA findings
• To increase participation by Galician health care professionals and patients inside the HTA projects
• To contribute to national and international collaboration on HTA