Draft Order amending the Common Package of Benefits of the Spanish National Health System

On February 21, 2022, it was announced by the Ministry of Health that the public consultation regarding the Draft Order amending the Common Package of Benefits of the National Health System (SNS) was open. The amendments and clarifications are related to the fields of in-vitro diagnostics, ENT, pulmonary and airways, e-health, neurology, dental care, radiology, and enteral nutrition.

The considered issues include:

• Clarification of provision criteria of eye readers or other communication systems for patients with severe neuromotor disorders;
• Specifications for the neonatal screening program for hypoacusia;
• The update of the neonatal screening program for endocrine, metabolic diseases with the inclusion of biotinidase deficiency, maple syrup urine disease, homocystinuria, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia;
• The incorporation of the circulating free fetal DNA test as a second-level test for the detection of trisomies 21, 18, and 13 in prenatal screening;
• Specifications in relation to prenatal screening for infectious diseases;
• The update of the Common Package of Benefits in the area of genetic testing;
• Maintenance of the endobronchial valves in patients with persistent air leaks in the Common Package of Benefits under the same conditions as in the monitoring study protocol;
• The expansion and specification of the portfolio of oral health care services;
• Inclusion of financing of home enteral nutrition for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis;
• Harmonization of the indications for radiopharmaceuticals in PET and PET-CT.

All the included benefits have been agreed with the Autonomous Communities within the Commission of Benefits, Insurance, and Financing and approved in the plenary session of the Interterritorial Council for the SNS, after a process of prior evaluation of the available scientific evidence on the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness carried out by the Spanish Network of Agencies for the Evaluation of Health Technologies and Benefits (RedETS).

It is expected that this Order will improve equity in access to care by expanding, specifying, and clarifying the content of the Common Package of Benefits of the SNS so that the offered services are more homogeneous throughout the national territory.

The full details in Spanish can be found here.

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