Balanced assessment systems revisited.

In 2014, balanced assessment systems (BAS) were proposed as a resource-conscious, 'fit-for-purpose' form of health technology assessment for middle-income countries which lack resources and competences necessary for resource-intensive health technology assessment models. BAS has undergone extensive policy debate in the period since its publication but it has not been critically assessed in a structured form yet. This article aims to describe both the contributions and the weak spots of the original framework and to reflect on them with the intention of further developing the model.

Persistence with statin therapy in Hungary.

Introduction: Persistence with lipid-lowering drug therapy by cardiovascular patients in Hungary has not been studied previously. This study was designed to determine the rate with which Hungarian patients with hyperlipidemia persist in taking lipid-lowering agents, and to compare this with rates reported from other countries.

Material And Methods: This was a retrospective study that utilized data from the Institutional Database of the National Health Insurance Fund to analyze persistence rates with statins and ezetimibe.