On 24 and 25 November, a two-day workshop titled Health Technology Assessment and Decision Modelling was held at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana. The workshop was organized within the framework of the projects Improving Cancer Screening in Slovenia (ICSIS, SG-REFORM TSI) and ENACT HTAR, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Agency for Quality in Healthcare, and international partners IARC/WHO, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, and iMTA.
The workshop, attended by more than 80 experts from various institutions, represents an important step in strengthening national capacities for health economic evaluation, evidence-based decision-making, and the use of advanced mathematical models in the design of screening programmes.
The workshop was opened by Associate Prof. Dr. Urška Ivanuš, Head of the national ZORA Screening Programme, who emphasized the importance of connecting international experts to facilitate knowledge transfer to the Slovenian context. She presented both European projects underpinning the workshop: ENACT HTAR, which aims to support Slovenia in the transition to the new European regulation on health technology assessment, and ICSIS, within which the Institute of Oncology, together with IARC/WHO and Erasmus MC, is preparing and exploring the possibilities for introducing two new screening programmes and designing changes to screening policy within the ZORA programme.
At the opening, participants were welcomed by Zlata Štiblar Kisić, Director of the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, who highlighted that the Institute is proud to provide Slovenian screening programmes, professionals, and the wider healthcare system with additional knowledge that will contribute to a better understanding of the effects of screening strategies, the planning of interventions, and the assessment of their cost-effectiveness.
Vesna Marinko, Director General of the Directorate of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, emphasized the importance of the ICSIS project for the systematic planning of new organized screening programmes and for upgrading existing ones. She also highlighted the strong tradition of Slovenian screening programmes and the Ministry’s commitment to evidence-based solutions.
Nena Bagari Bizjak, a representative of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, expressed her appreciation for the cooperation in strengthening approaches that enable the long-term sustainability and quality of healthcare services.
In a video address, Dr. Eva Turk, Project Lead of ENACT HTAR at the Ministry of Health, highlighted the role of the project in supporting Slovenia during the transition to the new European HTA regulation. Dr. Katarina Beravs Bervar, Director of the Agency for Quality in Healthcare of the Republic of Slovenia, moderated the introductory part of the workshop and emphasized the importance of enhancing national capacities in the field of health technology assessment.
The workshop was led by renowned international experts, including Prof. Dr. Iris Lansdorp-Vogelaar, one of the world’s leading authorities in screening programme modelling and a co-developer of the MISCAN models; Dr. Gimon de Graaf (iMTA), an expert in economic evaluations and decision model development; and Dr. Isaac Corro Ramos (iMTA), an expert in applied health economic methods.
Over the two days, participants focused on basic and advanced approaches to health technology assessment, including the fundamentals of HTA and decision models, the basics of health economics, modelling of screening programmes, and the use and interpretation of economic decision models in practice. On the third day, an introductory training session on the use of the MISCAN model was also held for Slovenian screening programme analysts. This represents the first module in a series of five that will continue in 2026.
