e-Health

On June 21, 2024, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the determined funding priorities for healthcare research projects (eight topics) and clinical guidelines (three topics).

On June 26, 2024, the document "Changes and innovations in the 2025 LKF model" (Änderungen und Neuerungen in den LKF-Modellen 2025) was published. The document summarizes the most significant changes and innovations in the LKF model for inpatient and outpatient care. The newly added procedure codes mainly concern e-health, interventional radiology, pulmonary and airways, and surgical procedures fields.

On July 2, 2024, the revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog for the third quarter of 2024 was published. The changes introduced mainly concern updating the content of several EBM sections with the respective comments and/or clarifications and introducing the new EBM codes for several companion diagnostics tests, for follow-up and evaluation of the “Kranus Lutera” health app, and for the services provided within the co-funded study on bronchoscopic lung volume reduction in severe pulmonary emphysema using thermal ablation (rp-RL BTVA).

In June 2024, the Finnish Coordinating Center for Health Technology Assessment announced that two rapid hospital assessments in the extracorporeal treatments and endoscopy fields and one Digi-HTA were accomplished.

On June 7, 2024, the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK) informed that the federal government, states, and sickness funds have agreed on concrete actions to implement healthcare reform. The reform will focus on various aspects, such as establishment of special outpatient clinics, the expansion of primary care, and improvement of the situation of digital healthcare.

On June 10, 2024, the National Agency for Regional Health Services (AGENAS) announced an online public consultation on the draft of the “Guidelines on the Evolutionary Pathway of Medical Systems for Telemonitoring”.

In June 2024, the following ongoing mini-HTA assessments for cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging, e-health, endoscopy, gastrointestinal, in-vitro diagnostics, men’s health, neurology and neurosurgery, neuromodulation, peripheral vascular, 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.

On May 14, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published another update of the 2024 Digital Care Funding Guide, which describes the possibilities for funding digital care depending on the healthcare sector, including new funding for Integrated Care Transformation Plans and the implementation of a novel platform for the assessment of innovative digital applications and/or technologies.

On April 25, 2024, the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Solidarity published an Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic setting the tariffs for digital medical devices with therapeutic functions covered within the early digital support (PECAN) scheme. The tariff for the manufacturer will include an initial lump sum of €435 per patient billable for up to 3 months and a subsequent monthly package of €38.30. The maximum amount of financial compensation is €780 per year per patient.

On May 3, 2024, the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare awarded £3.2 million to 22 innovations to improve patient care and save money while making the NHS greener. These include projects to explore the decontamination and recycling of single-use plastics, the use of at-home finger prick blood tests, and health apps.

The HTA body of the Tuscany Regional Healthcare issues three types of documents: full HTA reports, rapid HTA reports, and motivational forms. With regional decree 8521 of April 19, 2024, Tuscany Regional Healthcare published three reassessments of medical devices in the cardiovascular, peripheral vascular, and e-health areas.

In April 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new Interventional Procedures Guidance (lymphovenous anastomosis during axillary or inguinal node dissection, epidermal radiotherapy using rhenium-188 paste), two new Medical Technologies Guidance (Kurin Lock for blood culture collection and GaitSmart rehabilitation exercise program), and one new Health Technology Evaluation using early value assessment approach (digital technologies to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation programs for adults with COPD). Furthermore, two clinical guidelines were updated.