e-Health

On April 1, 2026, the revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog for the second quarter of 2026 came into force. The EBM catalog is used to reimburse day case and outpatient services under the fee-for-service model. The key changes include the introduction of new EBM codes for the reimbursement of lung cancer screening, monitoring progress, and evaluating the digital health application, as well as several IVD tests

In April 2026, the Canary Islands Healthcare Evaluation Service is working on several HTAs, including evaluations in e-health, IVD, neuromodulation, obstetrics and gynecology, and some other fields.

In March 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published four new HealthTech Guidances (HTGs) on surgical and percutaneous insertion of a catheter-based left ventricular microaxial flow pump for cardiogenic shock, off-pump minimal access mitral valve repair by artificial chordae insertion, and AI technologies to help detect or characterize colorectal polyps. In addition, two clinical guidelines were updated.

As of March 2026, the Scottish Health Technologies Group is working on health technology assessments in several areas, including diagnostic imaging, e-health, endoscopy, ENT, in-vitro diagnostics, and radiotherapy.

In late February 2026, NHS England updated the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) guidance, following a 2024 review and industry engagement. This simplifies the assessment by introducing a new DTAC form with 25% fewer questions and removing duplication with other processes. The revision also provides clearer guidance on DTAC’s purpose, scope, and how to complete assessments, and aligns the scope with NICE standards, focusing on software-based digital health technologies. The previous version of the DTAC form should not be used after April 6, 2026.

In March 2026, the Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (Avalia-t) is working on several HTAs, including in cardiovascular, dermatology, e-health, gastrointestinal, interventional radiology, robotic surgery, in-vitro diagnostics, peripheral vascular, neurology and neurosurgery, neuromodulation, and some other fields.

In February 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released five Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned hysteroscopic removal of endometrial polyps and submucosal fibroids, magnetic resonance enterography for Crohn's disease, oxygen saturation in critically ill children, paravertebral and thoracic epidural blockade for post-thoracotomy pain and Artificial Intelligence technologies for assessing skin lesions.

On February 11, 2026, the Federal Ministry of Health (BGM) presented the further development of the Digitalization Strategy for Health and Nursing Care. The objectives are to integrate digital innovations more strongly into routine care, to systematically generate and use high-quality health data, and to enhance digital care coordination.

In Germany, digital health applications (DiGAs) that can be prescribed by physicians and psychotherapists and reimbursed by statutory health insurers are listed in the Directory of Digital Health Applications maintained by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). As of February 23, 2026, a total of 61 apps are available in the Directory and thus eligible for reimbursement.

On February 4, 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England published the National Cancer Plan for England, setting out a decade-long, technology-enabled transformation of cancer services, with substantial commitments to diagnostics, AI, genomics, robotic surgery, digital tools, and innovation-driven care pathways. The key ambition is that, by 2035, three out of four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after five years.

On February 9, 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced the launch of the new National Healthtech Access Programme (NHAP). The NHAP will expand NICE’s Technology Appraisals programme to include health technologies beyond medicines (medical devices, diagnostics, and digital tools), allowing mandatory reimbursement of recommended technologies. The first two NHAP topics are capsule sponge tests for detecting oesophageal cancer and AI tools for identifying prostate and breast cancer.

In January 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released three Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned digital technologies for chronic tic disorders and Tourette Syndrome, bariatric surgical interventions for severe obesity, and laparoscopic surgery and medical treatment for deep endometriosis.