Health technology assessment

Within the framework of the Federal HTA program, the benefits currently paid under the compulsory health insurance are being reevaluated. On the 4th of September, 2019, the health technology assessment of arthroscopy of the knee, developed by the Swiss Medical Board on behalf of the Federal Ofice for Public Health, has been published.

In August 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published one new MedTech innovation briefings for vacuum therapy for colorectal anastomotic leakage and two new interventional procedure guidance for endovascular insertion of an intrasaccular wire-mesh blood-flow disruption device for intracranial aneurysms and the Papillon technique for locally advanced rectal cancer.

In mid-August 2019, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, announced the final plan of the project OTCA22 “Clinical utility of Point-of-care Tests (POCT) D-Dimer and Troponin.”

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has presented its second final report on the benefit assessment of vacuum therapy in wounds healing. The previous final report for vacuum therapy in the wounds healing by secondary intention was published by IQWiG in late March 2019.

In August 2019, the Austrian HTA body, the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute (LBI-HTA) published four decision support documents. The assessed technologies are osteochondral allograft transplantation, allograft for anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, human dermal allograft, and 177 Lutetium.

In Sweden, the Priority Council of Skåne Region prepares and presents suggestions for new methods, routines, and treatments, to be included in the healthcare system. In August 2019, the HTA report for endoscopic procedures in dysphagia was released. The analysis showed that fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and videofluoroscopy are clinically well-established procedures that have good and equal coherence between different assessors and in repeated assessments.

In August 2019, the mini-HTA for Tendyne transcatheter mitral valve implantation system was initiated by Oslo University Hospital. The finalized mini-method assessment will be published in the National Database for Mini-HTA.

NICE issued a consultation document about safety and efficacy of balloon cryoablation for Barrett’s oesophagus and squamous dysplasia of the oesophagus and balloon dilation for eustachian tube dysfunction which were considered for Interventional Procedures Guidance in development for public consultation until 20 September 2019.

In August 2019, the Austrian HTA body, the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute (LBI-HTA) published updated evaluations of medical procedures previously assessed. Technologies that were revised are The Barricaid® device for annulus Fibrosus Repair after lumbar discectomy, single-step scaffold-based treatment (AMIC) and two-step scaffold-based treatment (MACI), radiofrequency denervation and electrical stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve.

In July 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new diagnostics guidance for therapeutic monitoring of TNF-alpha inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis, two new interventional procedure guidance (for transurethral laser ablation for recurrent non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and ultrasound-guided high-intensity transcutaneous focused ultrasound for symptomatic uterine fibroids), and one new MedTech innovation briefing for HemaClear for bloodless surgical field during limb surgery.

In late July 2019, the report of the project OTJA10, titled “Stool DNA testing for early detection of colorectal cancer” was published on the website of the European Network for HTA (EUnetHTA).

In July 2019, the Health Technology Evaluation Service of the Basque County, OSTEBA, published a report titled “Indications, utility, and use of ultrasound in primary care.”