On the assumption that it does what it says on the tin, (a very tentative assumption) Eliza is right in saying that in The UK, it would be seized upon as The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) which advises The NHS on suitability of treatments would balance early intervention through medication over the huge cost of surgical and sometimes palliative treatment.

I also note that many other countries and international insurance companies use NICE as a yardstick too. In The USA, Kaiser Permanate and Evercare cite NICE in their clinical versus cost decisions for some procedures.