This page contains the Glossary of Terms for the Peninsula Health Technology Commissioning Group.

Commissioning - is the process of deciding what services or products are needed, acquiring them and ensuring that they meet requirements.

Exceptional Treatment Panels - the role of the Panels are to consider approval of funding by the PCT for treatment on a case by case basis that is outside existing contracts or for which prior approval is required within existing contracts.

Health economics – this is sometimes known as cost effective analysis. Cost-effectiveness analysis provide information that can ‘help’ decision makers weight up alternatives and decide which ones are the most appropriate, given the decision makers’ objectives. However, cost-effectiveness analysis is solely about efficiency, and the pursuit of efficiency in the use of scarce resources is often just one of a number of competing values judgements when decision makers are faced with difficult health policy decisions.

Health Technology – new and existing medicines, treatments and procedures within the NHS.

NICE –National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health.