Medical devices

The French National Authority for Health released new recommendations about add-on reimbursement of medical devices and medical aids from the meetings of the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies in September 2022. Thirty-eight recommendations were published in relation to the registration, modification of registration conditions, and renewal of registration for devices in the List of reimbursable products and services. Opinions concern cardiovascular and peripheral vascular, neurovascular and neuromodulation, orthopedic, endocrine, ENT, dermatological, and spine-related devices, as well as digital care and medical aids.

On September 1, 2022, the updated “List of state-paid services and their payment conditions” was published in Latvia. All six newly introduced codes concern the provision of services related to COVID-19 and flu vaccination.

On September 1, 2022, the Institute for Hospital Remuneration Systems (INeK) announced the start of the application process according to §6 (2) KHEntgG (New Examination and Treatment Methods, NUB) for 2023. The deadline for the submission of applications is October 31, 2022.

On June 15, 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced a new program called Early Value Assessment for Medtech. The program will offer a rapid assessment of digital products, devices, and diagnostics for clinical effectiveness and value for money where the evidence base is still emerging to inform NHS commissioners. The two pilot assessments for health apps will begin in June 2022 and are expected to be published in October 2022. Further topics are expected in mental health, early cancer diagnosis, and cardiovascular disease.

In early June 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement updated information about the nationwide purchase and supply system for High Cost Tariff-Excluded Devices, which was introduced in 2016. The name of the program changed to the Specialised Service Devices program (SSDP). The program currently covers 15 categories of devices, and several new categories will be added during the 2022/23 financial year.

At the end of May 2022, the new intra-DRG list was published. No major changes were introduced in the list. No new devices were added to the list.

On May 31, 2022, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) published the final positive opinion on the coverage of the endoscopic gastroplasty with the ENDOMINA triangulation platform under the Innovation package (Forfait innovation).

On May 25, 2022, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) published an updated List of reimbursable devices that came into force on June 01, 2022. A total of 12 new codes with the corresponding conditions of reimbursement were added to the List, which concerned sacral neurostimulation in fecal incontinence treatment, soft tissue markers, and osteosynthesis devices.

On April 28, 2022, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the first release of the DRG package for 2023 (RZ23a). Ten new procedure codes, thirteen new supplementary payments, and nine new DRGs will be implemented.

On March 31, 2022, the updated intra-DRG list was published. It includes the modifications of registration conditions for several devices included in the list. No new devices were added to the list.

On February 08, 2022, the Reimbursement Commission of the Social Security Institution released an updated version of the Healthcare Implementation Communique. The main changes relate to the increase in reimbursement fees of services and medical devices by approximately 35-75%.

On February 14, 2022, the Danish Treatment Council (Behandlingsråd), a new body for assessing treatments and health technologies that became fully operational in late May 2021, has announced its symposium, which will take place in Aalborg on May 11, 2022.