According to the recently published OECD New Health Technologies report, the current global innovation system does not always deliver technology in the areas of greatest need. As global health burden patterns evolve and government budgets tighten, governments and policy makers must become more pro-active and engage with industry throughout the development process to ensure that truly innovative products - in areas of health need - are developed to add value to patients, populations and the global community. 

The effect of health technology cannot be seen as purely exogenous. A complex, dynamic interplay arises between several drivers: rising income, insurance, funding, disease pattern, regulation, and clinical practice style and medical culture...It is not technology per se that drives expenditure growth, but its deployment and use by health care providers and patients. This should be put into context of income level or consumer demand. Health care system characteristics such as resource scarcity, budgeting and funding and remuneration models will also influence policy and practice and thus diffusion of certain types of technology and innovation over others.

The relative contributioon of technoogy to longevity compared to other determinants of health and disease differ considerably between technologies and clinical areas, the report says.

Pharmaceuticals account for one-fifth of health care expenditure and the value of using them varies immensely. The value function of health technology seems to be flattening. Health technology can be enhanced with better policy and practice; digital technologies could be useful.

According to OECD Health Record System Development and USE survey conducted among OECD countries in 2016, the Czech Republic was among countries uncertain as to whether sufficient progress would be made over the next five years to enable the use of Electronic Health Record data / the EHR system for monitoring of the national health care system quality. Data governance readiness and technical and operational readiness of the country is low., the survey has shown. 

Read also Recommendations of the OECD Council on Health Data Governance.