Germany

Disease management programs (DMPs) should be updated on a regular basis in order to adapt them to the current medical knowledge level. The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has thus researched current evidence-based guidelines on diabetes mellitus type 2, summarized their recommendations and checked the need for DMP update.

The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has signed a further contract for scientific monitoring and implementation of a trial study for NYHA III heart failure therapy optimization by means of continuous blood pressure measurement and monitoring using an implanted sensor in the pulmonary artery.

The report includes all published reimbursement decisions for IVD tests in 2018 in European countries with established frameworks for out-patient reimbursement laboratory tests (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland).

The report includes an overview of funding framework and all (as of May 2019) decisions from ultimate payers and decisions makers in England (NHS England, one CCG), Germany (G-BA), Netherlands (Zorginstituut Nederland), Norway (“New Methods” framework) and Switzerland (Federal Office of Public Health). More than 1000 decisions are included.

Statutory health insured with chronic back pain can benefit in the future from a structured treatment program (Disease Management Program, DMP), as the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) outlined on 18th of April the substantive requirements for the new DMP.

German IQWiG assessed vacuum therapy and published the report in late March 2019. Evaluation found statistically significant impact of therapy on wound healing, rate of reinterventions and length of hospital stay.

The colorectal cancer screening program became organized in Germany on April 19, 2019. Until now, only the breast cancer screening program was the only organized screening program. The Evaluation Committee has already updated the EBM catalog.

At the beginning of April 2019, the Federal Cabinet has adopted the draft of a "Law on the Establishment of an Implants Registry in Germany and other amendments to the Fifth Book of the Social Code” (Implants Registry Establishment Law, Implantateregister-Errichtungsgesetz, EIRD).

The Innovation Fund in Germany was created in 2015 for the period from 2016 to 2019, with the primary aim to improve health care for policyholders and patients in statutory health insurance (SHI). In March 2019, the governing parties have agreed in the coalition agreement that the innovation funding should be continued at least until March 2021 with an annual budget of €200 million.

On behalf of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), a working group of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) has assessed the treatment outcomes in case of nasoalveolar molding (NAM) for cleft lip and palate. The report was published in February 2019.

During November-December 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has introduced an organized screening program for the early detection of cervical cancer and initiated consultation procedure for prostate cancer screening.

In January 2019, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has selected four medical topics from citizens' suggestions for scientific assessment in the form of HTA reports (depression in children, mHealth solutions for multiple sclerosis, elephantiasis, and pain in endometriosis).