Paris, France
History and Structure
The French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de santé or HAS) became operational on January 1st, 2005. It is a consultative body providing independent scientific advice to the French public authorities. It was formed by the merger of ANAES (French National Agency for Accreditation and Evaluation in Health), the Transparency Committee, and the Committee for the assessment of devices and health technologies (CEPP) – two committees previously run by AFSSAPS (Agency for the Safety of Healthcare Products) – and FOPIM (Fund for the Promotion of Medical and Health Economics Information). The objective was to bring together into a single body all the expertise needed for patient-centred continuous quality improvement.
Mission
HAS is tasked with advancing quality in health and social care. HAS works alongside public authorities to inform policy decisions and with health care professionals to optimize practices, organizations and services. It equally ensures a patient-focused approach in its productions to reinforce decision-making capacity for the public. Core activities comprise:
- Assessing and appraising pharmaceuticals, medical devices and procedures for inclusion on the national list of reimbursed products and services
- Recommending best practices for health care and allied health professionals and elaborating vaccination and public health guidelines
- Measuring and improving the quality of care delivered in health and social care organizations, as well as office-based settings
How HAS Works
HAS is governed by a board of eight members responsible for setting our strategic priorities and policies. The Board Chair is appointed by the Head of State. HAS may perform assessments on its own initiative or at the request of government (eg the Ministry of Health), national health insurance, learned societies, users’ associations, etc. There are eight specialist committees, each chaired by a Board member. Each Board member is responsible for the policy, strategy and executive powers of their committee, and sets up working groups. Each Chair is supported by an operational manager who reports to the Director of HAS.
Dissemination Activities
Dissemination strategies involve communicating with the media, editing and publishing reports, professional and public conferences, and exchange of information at local, regional, national and international levels. Information posted on our website (abstracts, reports, etc) is continuously updated. Assessment reports and documents supporting decisions are posted on the HAS website.
Current Projects
Information on current and upcoming projects may be obtained from the HAS website.
Future Plans
The future plan can be found in the HAS Strategic Plan 2019-2024 (in French only).
Agency Information
Country: France
Description of population served: National
Population served (mil): 65
Current HTA budget (mil USD): 1
Permanent staff: 17
Consultants: 225
Ongoing TA projects: 11
Contact Information
Director: Fabienne Bartoli
Contact person: Judith Fernandez
Haute Autorité de Santé
French National Authority for Health
2, avenue du Stade de France, Saint-Denis La Plaine
FR-93218 Paris France
Tel: 01 55 93 73 16
Fax: 01 55 93 37 09
Internet: http://www.has-sante.fr
Email: j.fernandez@has-sante.fr