History and structure
LBI of HTA was founded in April 2006 as a successor of the small HTA-unit at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, assessing health technologies since 1990. The recently founded LBI of HTA now works with 10 FTE, 6 permanent multidisciplinary researchers (medicine, health-planning, health-economics, clinical psychology, policy research), an information specialist and additional extensive expert-consultancy from different fields of specialties.

Since a few years Austrian health policy makers have become increasingly aware that investment and planning decisions must be based on sound socioeconomic assessments. Yet, HTA is still not a well known and systematically used instrument for developing national health policy decisions. The aim for the coming years is to "promote" a culture of thinking and to proof the relevance of HTA for appropriate use of public resources in Austrian health care.

Mission
The Focus of a national HTA Institute in a small country like Austria is on

• Putting international effectiveness knowledge in a national context (style of practice & application, quality assurance, economic analysis etc.)
• Reacting to specific national requests (over- or under-use of
  in-/effective interventions)
• Making international knowledge available: knowledge transfer, science & research communication
• Structuring and accompanying the implementing process by supporting the development of new policy instruments
• Coordinating and supporting networks of decision-makers in their need  for rational knowledge for coverage decisions on new healthcare interventions such as HTA & the HTA in hospital network.

How LBI of HTA works
The institute is financed to 60% by the Ludwig Boltzmann Society (public, academic research society) and to 40% by "partners": The partners (Ministry, hospital-associations, health insurances) define the annual research program in a process of more or less systematic priority setting and committed themselves by becoming "partners" to put the results into practice. The institutional partners benefit from synthesized understanding by gaining research-based arguments that provide them with a rationale independent of interest groups. Nearly all projects take 6-9 months, rarely longer. Because of the direct communication with the decision-maker the results show traceable impact. All projects engage an interdisciplinary team, they are presented and critically reviewed at internal seminars and undergo an external review process.

Dissemination activities
Reports are disseminated free-of-charge via the ITA-webpage, through articles in reviewed and non-reviewed journals as well as disseminated in the specific (medical) interest groups.

The HTA unit at ITA puts paramount importance on public awareness of the policy instrument HTA: a monthly newsletter (500 recipients), monthly public seminars (attended regularly by 20-30 "mediators) and verbal presence at the main national health care congresses, lectures in professional trainings are part of a reflected PR-program.

Current projects (a selection)

• Profile of ambulatory services in university hospitals
• Consiliary vs. permanent paediatric staff in hospital deliveries
• Development of Phase IV clinical research for kyphoplasty
• EUnetHTA, Work Package 7 lead
• Use of Statins in Austria, impact on hospital services?
• Patient-practitioner communication
• Etc.

Future plans

• To enhance international cooperation
• To foster relationships with relevant healthcare decision makers
• To systematize early identification of healthcare interventions in need of assessment.