e-Health

On November 6, 2024, the first meeting of the Board for Health Apps was held in Denmark. As soon as the Board determines the criteria according to which it will assess health apps, it will be possible to apply for assessment followed by recommendations

In November 2024, the following ongoing mini-HTA assessments for cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging, e-health, gastrointestinal, in-vitro diagnostics, interventional radiology, men’s health, pulmonary and airways, robotic surgery, and some other fields are evaluated as a part of a framework for the managed introduction of innovations "New Methods" in Norway.

In November 2024, NICE introduced CHEERS-AI - a new reporting standard for health economic evaluations of AI technologies. This will help healthcare decision-makers understand the value of AI-enabled treatments, allowing patients to access the most promising ones faster.

In October 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released seven Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned the Genedrive kit, timing of stoma closure in neonates, interventions in perceptual disorders after stroke, revascularisation strategy for chronic limb ischemia, MRI software and cognitive fusion biopsies in prostate cancer, transperineal prostate biopsy devices, and ultraviolet therapy in severe eczema. 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 NICE guidance.

In November 2024, the Danish Government presented a new Strategy for Life Science towards 2030. The Strategy will strengthen the role of innovative health solutions in relation to freeing up labor and ensuring a sustainable healthcare system. The Vision is that Denmark must be a leading life science nation in Europe to benefit patients, the Danish healthcare system, and the Danish economy.

In October 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new Diagnostics Guidance concerning heart failure algorithms for remote monitoring in people with cardiac implantable electronic devices and digital technologies for assessing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

In October 2024, the annual update of the Swedish procedure coding system (Classification of Health Care Measures, KVÅ) was released to come into force on January 1, 2025. A total of 55 new surgical procedure codes and 43 new medical procedure codes were introduced concerning diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, ENT, men’s health, nephrology and urology, gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonology, and some other areas.

In October 2024, the Finnish Coordinating Center for Health Technology Assessment released a report aiming to summarize the results of the comparative analysis of Finnish Digi-HTA and French Early coverage of digital medical devices framework (PECAN) assessment criteria. The analysis focuses on the frameworks' general aspects and the cybersecurity requirements.

In Q3 2024, Health Technology Wales completed three full appraisals with the publication of Evidence Appraisal Report and Guidance (AI for whole slide prostate biopsy images, AI-assisted endoscopy for gastrointestinal cancer, and Floseal in the treatment of epistaxis). Furthermore, 24 Med Tech-related Topic Exploration Reports were published concerning cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, gynecology, e-health, in-vitro diagnostics, and other areas.

In September 2024, it was announced by the Danish Regions that according to the budget agreements for 2025, all regions have prioritized money to strengthen the local healthcare system (primary care) and ensure a robust hospital system and a continued high level of activity.

The Danish Health Data Authority quarterly updates the Health Care Classification System (SKS). The updated version was published in mid-September 2024 to come into force on October 1, 2024. Eight new medical procedure codes and one new code for diagnostic investigations were introduced concerning obstetrics and gynecology, extracorporeal treatments, spine, cardiovascular, e-health, diagnostic imaging, and some other fields.

In August 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released eight MedTech-related assessments in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned automated devices for identifying peripheral arterial disease, left ventricular assist devices as destination therapy, cerclage suture type to prevent pregnancy loss, gynecological cancer surveillance in Lynch syndrome, multiparametric MRI in bladder cancer pathway, in-home monitoring for people with glaucoma, real-time ultrasound elastography of thyroid nodules, and AI-based software for analyzing chest X-ray images. 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.