Cardiovascular procedures

On January 18, 2022, the Ministry of Health has awarded the Framework Agreement for the acquisition of 81 linear accelerators included in the High-End Technology Equipment Investment Plan. Furthermore, the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA) has also initiated the processing of the Framework Agreement that will facilitate the acquisition of the equipment in the fields of interventional cardiology, interventional vascular radiology, interventional neurovascular, digital brachytherapy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, PET-CT, SPECT-CT.

In late January 2022, 19 new procedure codes were introduced by the Code Service of the Finnish National Health and Wellbeing Institution (THL). The introduced codes are dedicated to diagnostic imaging and image-guided interventions.

In January 2022, the Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment (OSTEBA) released an HTA report aiming to assess and compare the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of the mechanical circulatory support devices most used in the healthcare setting for the treatment and prevention of cardiogenic shock, including Impella® devices, intra-aortic balloon pumps, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

In December 2021, the Clinical Coding and Schedule Development (CCSD) working group, which develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclatures for private payers in England, published Bulletins 0181 and 0078 with changes to be implemented no later than February 01, 2022. Seven new procedure codes and four new diagnostic codes were introduced.

In December 2021, nineteen clinical guidelines relating to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, men’s health, peripheral vascular, and other disease areas were released in Russia.