Caesarean section

In January 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published three new Interventional Procedure Guidance (intravascular lithotripsy in peripheral arterial disease, temperature control after cardiac arrest, and pharyngeal electrical stimulation for neurogenic dysphagia) and one new Diagnostics Guidance (AI-derived software to help clinical decision making in stroke). Furthermore, one Diagnostics Guidance and five clinical guidelines were updated.

In August 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new Interventional Procedure Guidance (aortic valve reconstruction with glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium for aortic valve disease) and one new Diagnostic Guidance (quantitative faecal immunochemical testing to guide colorectal cancer pathway referral in primary care). Also, five clinical guidelines were updated.

In March 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released two MedTech-related reports in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned total ankle replacement versus ankle arthrodesis in end-stage osteoarthritis, and techniques for managing an impacted fetal head during emergency cesarean section. HTA Journal publishes research reports on the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage, and provide care in the NHS and informs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

In November 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published five new Interventional Procedure Guidance (extracorporeal shockwave therapy for calcific tendinopathy in the shoulder, balloon disimpaction of the baby's head at emergency cesarean, percutaneous ultrasound-guided microwave ablation for benign thyroid nodules, ab interno canaloplasty for open-angle glaucoma, tunnelled peritoneal drainage catheter insertion), and two new Medical Technologies Guidance (GreenLight XPS, Optilume). Also, one new clinical guideline was published, and one was updated.

In March 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published four new Interventional Procedure Guidance (transcervical ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for symptomatic uterine fibroids, extracorporeal whole liver perfusion, free-functioning gracilis transfer to restore upper limb function, cytoreduction surgery with hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy), two Medical Technologies Guidance (Danis stent for acute oesophageal variceal bleeding, Alpha-Stim AID for anxiety disorders), two Medtech Innovation Briefings (Sonata system for symptomatic uterine fibroids, Butterfly iQ+ for diagnostic ultrasound), and one Diagnostic Guidance (QAngio XA 3D QFR and CAAS vFFR imaging software for assessing coronary stenosis). Also, five clinical guidelines were updated.

The report presents a summary of the reimbursement situation for caesarean section in Europe. Both “classical” and lower uterine segment Caesarean section are considered under the scope. The only reimbursement within public / statutory health insurance systems is analyzed. The analysis covers procedure coding, payment mechanism, reimbursement tariffs and policy restrictions in 11 EU countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. It is also possible to add analysis in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Russia and Turkey.