Germany

The call for a tender to select an organization to run the pilot study “Liposuction for the treatment of lipedema” was announced by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) on the 8th of May of 2018. The deadline for the requests is the 26th of June, 2018, 14:00.

On the 26th of April of 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has announced the call for a tender for the pilot study “Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Retinitis Pigmentosa” in the Official Journal of the European Union. The deadline for the requests is the 22nd of June, 2018, 14:00

On the 26th of April of 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has commissioned to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) to provide a rapid report regarding the current state of medical knowledge on synchronous balneophototherapy in atopic eczema. The identified results of the current state of medical knowledge would form the basis for the further G-BA’s assessment of adequacy, appropriateness and economic benefits of the researched method.

On the 19th of April of 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) was able to reassess previously excluded use of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the indication of heel pain in plantar fasciitis on a current scientific basis and decided that ESWT will be used in out-patient settings in the future.

At the end of March of 2018, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has released an updated version of the disease management program (DMP) “Coronary heart disease”, which was initially implemented in 2003.

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has selected four out of 31 themes for the future health technology assessments, which were proposed by the citizens at the web-site of ThemenCheck Medizin service and will presumably be published at the beginning of 2019. The next process of topics’ selection will start in August of 2018.

The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has published two calls for tenders in the Official Journal of the European Union to select evaluator for two coverage with evidence development studies for pulmonary artery pressure measurement and monitoring using an implanted sensor to optimize therapy in NYHA class III heart failure and allogeneic stem cell transplantation for front-line treatment of multiple myeloma.

Interstitial low-dose rate brachytherapy was commissioned to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) in order to analyze the current knowledge on procedure.

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) released the final report on the assessment of benefit for telemonitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices compared to a standard treatment without telemonitoring in patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias and / or heart failure. It was concluded that the benefits of the telemonitoring for patients with cardiac failure or heart rhythm disorders with a fast heart rate remain unclear.

In January 2018, the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (InEK) has published the List of the requests for innovation funding (NUB). Out of 705 requests for drugs and technologies, 171 (24%) received the positive status 1, and 72 of them were the requests for the medical technologies.

The German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has commissioned the Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Health Care (IQTIG) to evaluate the guideline on minimally invasive heart valve interventions with minimum quality standards for hospitals that want to perform transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or clip procedures on the mitral valve. The report has to be submitted by December, 2019.

In March 2013, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds requested a benefit assessment of surgical lung volume reduction in severe pulmonary emphysema. The Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) decided on February 15th 2018 that the method will remain a benefit in the inpatient sector in Germany. The was supported by a health technology assessment provided by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).