Belgian KCE reports published since the beginning of 2026

The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) is an independent federal research institute that provides evidence-based analyses to inform healthcare policy and decision-making in Belgium. The recommendations are not legally binding, but may support the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV) in adopting health technologies and procedures. 

Since the beginning of 2026, KCE has published one Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report and two Health Services Research (HSR) reports. HSR studies evaluate the organization and financing of healthcare and aim to improve system efficiency and quality of care. 

On January 29, 2026, KCE published an HTA on the role of blood-based biomarkers in ruling out cerebral lesions in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective was to assess whether biomarker testing could help reduce the number of CT scans in low-risk populations while maintaining diagnostic safety. The following key conclusions were made:

• Blood-based biomarkers, particularly GFAP combined with UCH-L1, show good diagnostic accuracy for ruling out intracranial injuries in adults with mild TBI when compared with CT scans, indicating potential for safely reducing unnecessary imaging;
• Evidence on economic value and real-world implementation remains limited. While some cost-effectiveness models suggest biomarker testing could reduce CT scan use and associated costs, actual implementation challenges need further exploration;
• Belgian clinical practice currently shows variability in the use and perception of blood biomarkers in emergency settings;
• GFAP combined with UCH-L1 testing should be considered an additional tool for clinical decision-making, particularly when a decision about the need for a CT scan is uncertain, delayed, or undesirable;
• Further research should refine population-specific thresholds, validate whole-blood point-of-care testing, and evaluate real-world cost-effectiveness.

Two HSR reports published in January 2026 addressed the following topics:

• Shifting care from inpatient to day care and ambulatory care: KCE assessed whether reducing hospital length of stay and substituting inpatient care with day or ambulatory services affects quality outcomes such as unplanned readmission rates and post-discharge mortality. This publication represents the first phase of the research; a second report expected at the end of 2026 will examine disease-specific impacts, surgical procedures, ambulatory care utilization and costs, and stakeholder perspectives. 
• Improving multimodal management of chronic pain in Belgium: KCE experts identified nine priority areas for action, including a decisively person-centred approach, a clearly defined care pathway, and measures related to professional training, interprofessional collaboration, healthcare financing, research, and public awareness.

The full details can be found here.

This news is just one of about 300 market access news collected by our team in the premium subscription service Market Access Monitor every week from more than 80 organizations. Access our paid service to stay on top of all developments specifically for your products in Europe (reimbursement news) and globally (HTA news). Access is organized as an online Database and email alert formats. Contact us to get a free, three-month, no-obligation trial.