About

HAS Missions

Evaluating Health Products and Technologies

HAS is tasked with the evaluation of health products from a medical and economic perspective. It issues appraisal recommendations that aid public authorities in reimbursement and pricing decision-making with regards to the national health fund. 

HAS evaluates the clinical benefit of drugs, medical devices, procedures and other health technologies, assessing added benefit over existing therapeutic strategies.

When innovation is claimed and potentially associated with a significant impact on health spending, health products and technologies are required to undergo a health economic evaluation.  

HAS offers early dialogues on evidence generation plans for new pharmaceuticals, medical device or diagnostic/interventional procedure. The objective of these early dialogues  (ED) is to provide companies with recommendations on the last development phase (pivotal study/studies) and support generation of good quality evidence for proper Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

When assessing health technologies, HAS takes into consideration real life studies and can even request real word data when additional evidence is deemed necessary. For further information on real life studies for the evaluation of medicinal products and medical devices, please consult the dedicated HAS guidance.

For the practical arrangements concerning document exchanges with the HAS and internal procedures relative to post-registration studies, please refer to the dedicated instruction sheets for medical products or medical devices.

 

• Drug Evaluation
• Medical Device Evaluation
• Procedure and Intervention Evaluation
• Health Economic Evaluation

Recommending Best Practices

HAS develops recommendations for professionals of both the health and social care sectors in order to optimize and harmonize practices and organizations of care.

To satisfy this objective, HAS develops best practice recommendations, promotes health and well-being pathways and elaborates tools for professionals that promote and encourage relevant care. When a population-based approach to health questions is necessary, HAS is also tasked with producing public health guidelines.

Lastly, the institution contributes to the framing of vaccine policy in France by elaborating vaccine recommendations.

 

• Best Practice Guidelines
• Public Health Guidelines
• Vaccine Guidelines
• Health Pathways and Relevant Care
• Tools and Patient Safety Programs
• Accreditation of Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)

Measuring and Improving

HAS is responsible for measuring and improving quality care and patient safety in health care facilities and office-based practice. Since April 2018, this task was extended to include quality support in social care services and facilities. 

 

• Accreditation of Hospitals and Clinics
• Evaluation of Social Care Services and Facilities
• Quality and Safety Indicators of Care
• Physician and Medical Team Accreditation for High-Risk Practices
• Public Information and Quality of Care Management

Core Values

HAS carries out its activity in accordance with three core values: scientific rigor, independence and transparency.

It cooperates with all stakeholders in the service of both individual and collective interests and upholds the values of solidarity and equity in access to care, both integral of the French health system.

Public Involvement

HAS is committed to maximizing all efforts to ensure effective participation of the people who use services, carers and the public in the development of our guidance and other products.

In 2019, HAS established the Public Involvement Council to bring into perspective the public and patient view on the institution’s work.

When elaborating recommendations, HAS works with all stakeholders to foster greater mutual understanding–leveraging engagement strategies such as digital connectivity in order to achieve greater participation in health and well-being.

Work Program

HAS defines its annual work program in concertation with the Ministry in charge of Health and Social Care and the National Health Fund. With respect to article R161-71 of the Social Security Code, all authorized entities may solicit HAS by submitting topics for work program inclusion.

Annual revisions are systematically validated by the Board. Click here for HAS' complete work program.

Methodology

To respond to the various requests received, HAS provides tailored responses to meet the methodological demands and constraints of its productions.

HAS instituted a methodology shared across all productions and founded on a common set of requirements (in French only).

Each HAS production is methodologically framed and validated to ensure continuous transparency and verifiability.

Furthermore, in taking into consideration the points of views of professionals, institutions and the public this method safeguards the management of conflicts of interest and the critical analysis of scientific data.

The following framework guides all of HAS productions: 

• scoping the issue 

• literature search

• critical analysis of published evidence

• analysis and management of conflicts of interest

• report write-up through expert and/or stakeholder consultation

• evaluation and recommendation

Each document produced is validated either by the authorized committee or the Board, prior to publication and dissemination.

For more information about what we do and who we are, you may access full corporate information here (in French only).