What you need to know
A hearing is an opportunity to address specific issues raised during the evaluation process before we decide the outcome of your application. It takes place during the MSAC meeting at which your application will be considered.
If your application is eligible, you can request a hearing or we may initiate one. You are responsible for any costs related to attending the hearing.
Eligibility criteria
Your application is eligible for a hearing if it meets 2 or more of the following 4 criteria:
- We or our subcommittees consider the service or technology to be either:
- highly specialised
- potentially disruptive to the healthcare system.
- We, our subcommittees, our secretariat or the relevant policy team have raised significant clinical or financial issues.
- Public funding of the service or technology is likely to significantly benefit patients.
- We have initiated the hearing.
How hearings work
Your representative(s) may present at the meeting. Hearings may last for up to 10 minutes – up to 8 minutes for presentations and 2 minutes for questions by MSAC members. Our Chair may decide not to have you make a presentation and instead use the full time for questions.
We may also nominate an independent expert to present on your application.
What you need to do
1. Request a hearing or receive our notice for one
These are the steps to request a hearing:
- Email your request to our secretariat at least 10 business days before the meeting.
- The MSAC Executive considers your request.
- You receive a response within 2 business days.
If we have initiated a hearing, you will receive a notice in the Health Products Portal.
2. Prepare the presentation
The presentation for your application should only cover matters raised:
- in the application
- during the evaluation process
- in the advice from our subcommittees.
It must not present new evidence. If the presentation includes new evidence or information, our secretariat will cancel the hearing.
Make sure those attending on your behalf:
- are familiar with your application and the issues raised during the evaluation process
- can respond to questions about the content of the application, clinical practice and issues related to the public funding of the service or technology.
Use Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 for electronic presentations. Our secretariat cannot guarantee support for other file types at the meeting.
3. Confirm your representatives and provide the presentation
At least 5 business days before the MSAC meeting, provide to our secretariat in the Health Products Portal:
- the names of who will be attending on your behalf (limit of 2 for each application)
- their affiliation – if they are not employees of your organisation
- a completed conflict of interest form (our secretariat will send you this form) for each non-employee attending on your behalf
- the electronic presentation you will use (if applicable).
Next steps
In the next step, we will meet to consider your application.
If your request was agreed to or we initiated a hearing, the representatives for your application will attend the meeting for the hearing only (not the whole meeting).
Contact
Contact your application manager or our secretariat if you have any questions.
