If you would like the Commission to review a topic, start by emailing us at
herc.info@dhsoha.state.or.us. Your email should include:
- what you'd like to see changed
- the reasons the Commission should make the change
- supporting evidence (please review the Quality of Evidence Statement to better understand the Commission’s standards)
Staff will let you know whether your topic will be reviewed and in what context. Discussion topics are also announced to the public 4 weeks prior to each public meeting on our
Public Meetings page. HERC makes decisions in an open, transparent, public process.
Sometimes a decision or policy is revisited because of newly-available
evidence or due to implementation issues.
When we receive your message, we will evaluate the request and see
how it might best fit into the Commission's work. Most topics will be
reviewed using our Prioritized List changes process. For topics
requiring a more in-depth review, or topics of interest to a broader
range of payers, HERC may develop an
Evidence-based Report (Coverage Guidance or Multisector Interventions Report). Once the report is complete, the Commission will consider whether to make
Prioritized List changes as well.
If your topic is not selected for review, you can make an
unsolicited presentation to the Commission or the Value-Based Benefits
Subcommittee according to the policies described below.
Request Policies
Passive Monitoring for Coverage Guidances and Multisector Interventions
You can request an update to an existing coverage guidance or multisector interventions report by emailing your request to herc.info@oha.oregon.gov. For details see our Evidence-Based Report process overview.
Staff will review the information provided and determine whether a new review is warranted based on the Criteria for Prioritized List Topic Selection. Information must be emailed to
herc.info@oha.oregon.gov. Any materials sent to the Commission's physical office will not be accepted. If your topic is selected, staff will review any evidence you submitted, search for additional evidence and prepare a summary for the Value-based Benefits Subcommittee.
If the topic does not meet criteria for review, staff may decline to bring the topic before the HERC; in this case you may wish to make an unsolicited presentation.
The Commission will consider health services topics when evidence is presented to indicate that current condition-treatment pairings may be inappropriately ranked on the Prioritized List or that other aspects of the List require updating.
Examples:
- A new treatment is available, with acceptable evidence of its clinical effectiveness and/or cost-effectiveness. (When acceptable evidence is unavailable, the Commission may consider lower-quality evidence or expert opinion.)
- A change in community standard of care requires changes to the Prioritized List, and the change is supported by high-quality systematic reviews and/or evidence based guidelines.
Topic review does not guarantee a change in the Prioritized List. In general, the Commission does not eliminate covered condition-treatment pairs or remove coverage restrictions currently in place unless there is sufficiently strong evidence to support changing current policy.
Topic nominations
For evidence-based reports, including coverage guidances and multisector intervention reports, the Commission accepts topic nominations periodically by survey. Staff will research nominated topics to determine priority according to the Criteria for Evidence-based Report Topic Selection and present them to the Commission early the following year for prioritization. Topics not selected may be referred for consideration for Prioritized List topics.
Criteria for topic selection
HERC selects topics for its reports to guide public and private payers based on these principles:
- Represents a significant burden of disease or health problem
- Represents important uncertainty with regard to effectiveness or harms
- Represents important variation or controversy in implementation or practice
- Represents high costs or significant economic impact
- Topic is of high public interest
Each year’s topic nomination will be announced through HERC’s e-subscribe service.
Note: HERC’s EbGS does not accept unsolicited presentations.
HERC and VbBS allow unsolicited formal presentations by interested stakeholders, according to the following guidelines. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to collaborate with HERC staff to tailor presentations and requests, to help ensure more effective and productive discussions.
- All unsolicited scientific information or evidence must be received by HERC staff at least six weeks in advance of the HERC meeting at which it is to be presented. Information must be emailed to herc.info@oha.oregon.gov. Any materials sent to the Commission's physical office will not be accepted. This time frame allows staff to review the submitted material in consultation with the Commission/Subcommittee chair, determine if it meets the criteria for review and allows the agenda item to be listed according to the Commission’s 28-day advance public notice policy.
- If a topic does not meet criteria for review, individuals may offer written or verbal public comment, as described by this policy.
- For approved topics, a maximum of 10 minutes of agenda time will be allotted for presentation of scientific and evidence-based materials. The chair may allow additional time for Commission members to discuss the presentation and engage in dialogue with the presenter. HERC strives to utilize the best available evidence in decision-making. We encourage commenters to include the strongest evidence related to the topic they present.