Health technology assessment

In May 2019, the Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment, AVALIA-T, has released a report “Diagnostic and clinical utility of cerebral amyloid PET in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias.”

In May 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published two new medical technology guidance for negative pressure wound dressings and preventing infections when using needleless connectors, and three new MedTech innovation briefings for pressure ulcer prevention, midstream urine collection and preserving vascular grafts.

In early May 2019, the Austrian HTA body, the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute (LBI), has published a health technology assessment on robot-assisted surgery in thoracic and visceral indications as part of the EUnetHTA work.

In May 2019, the Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment, AVALIA-T, has released a report “Laser or radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of recurrent thyroid cancer.”

In April 2019, the Andalusian Agency for Evaluation of Health Technologies, AETSA, has released a report updating the map of genetic tests available in the Spanish National Health System.

At the end of April 2019, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, published the “Custom-made or customizable 3D printed implants and cutting guides versus non-3D printed standard implants and cutting guides for improving outcome in patients undergoing knee, maxillofacial, or cranial surgery.”

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 April 2019, the HTA report for thrombectomy 6 to 24 hours after stroke was released. The health economic analysis showed that the use of thrombectomy during extended time frames is expected to be cost-saving in a socio-economic perspective and increases patient benefit measured in terms of won quality-adjusted life years.

In April 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published two new interventional procedure guidance for endoscopic ablation for an anal fistula and a pilonidal sinus, and two new MedTech innovation briefings for urine test for detecting bladder cancer in people with symptoms associated with malignancy and imaging software designed to help clinicians to diagnose and stage liver disease.

With the regional decree of April 23, 2019, Tuscany Regional Healthcare has published assessments of six medical devices belonging to various therapeutic areas, including a system for monitoring in heart failure, TAVI, glaucoma drainage system, intravascular lithotripsy system.

The report summarizes HTA landscape, role of HTA in reimbursement processes in individual countries, provides list of HTAs per country, HTA body and program, per type of technology. In total, 12 countries, 51 organizations and more than 850 reports are included. Sample pages are available for download.

In 2013, Norway established a framework “New Method” for the introduction of innovations into the health care system through either a national or hospital-based health technology assessment. In this framework, all innovations should undergo HTA before being funded. In April of 2019, the NIPH has released an HTA report for patent foramen ovale closure, antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy alone for management of cryptogenic stroke commissioned by RHF Forum. Based on this HTA, the RHF Forum will make a decision regarding further implementation of current treatment method.

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.