Orthopedic procedures

On October 27, 2022, the BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) published the final version of the 2023 OPS procedure coding classification. The OPS, together with the ICD-10-GM (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, German Modification), forms the basis for the reimbursement systems in outpatient and inpatient care in Germany.

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 October 2022. Fourteen 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, neurovascular, orthopedic, and ENT devices, as well as medical aids.

In late September – early October 2022, three more health apps were introduced in the Directory of digital health applications (DiGAs) at the Federal Office for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and thus became reimbursable. These apps can be prescribed by physicians and psychotherapists and will be reimbursed by sickness funds.

On September 22, 2022, the Austrian version of the DRG system (LKF) 2023 model with the relevant supplementary documents was published in Austria. The document "Changes and innovations in the 2023 LKF model" summarizes the most significant changes and innovations in the LKF model for inpatient and outpatient care. The newly added procedure codes mainly concern cardiovascular, extracorporeal treatments, and peripheral vascular fields.

Earlier this year, the CZ-DRG v5 was released in the Czech Republic by the Central Institute of Health Information and Statistics (ÚZIS). Currently, further changes are being implemented, and the CZ-DRG v5, revision 1, will be ready for implementation on January 1, 2023.

In August 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published five new Interventional Procedure Guidance (aortic remodeling hybrid stent insertion during surgical repair of aortic dissection, bioresorbable stent implantation to treat coronary artery disease, superficial venous arterialization for chronic limb ischemia, transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation for urinary incontinence, focal resurfacing implants to treat articular cartilage damage in the knee), and three new Medtech Innovation Briefings (Stockholm3 for prostate cancer screening, contrast-enhanced spectral mammography, differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation). Also, two Medical Technologies Guidance and two Medtech-related clinical guidelines were updated.

In August 2022, the Clinical Coding and Schedule Development (CCSD) working group, which develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclatures for private payers in England, published Bulletins 0185 and 0082 with changes to be implemented no later than October 11, 2022. Seven new procedure codes (for photodynamic therapy to skin lesions, patch continuous ECG recording, shoulder stabilization procedure, and ear reconstruction) and no new diagnostic codes.

On July 29, 2022, the Swiss Federal Statistics Office (UFS) published the 2023 version of the procedure code (CHOP) nomenclature in the German language. The newly introduced codes concern various technology groups, such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, in-vitro diagnostics, neurology and neurosurgery, interventional radiology, orthopedics, gynecology, and others.

In June 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published three new Interventional Procedure Guidance (vertebral body tethering for idiopathic scoliosis, nerve graft for corneal denervation, and synthetic cartilage implant insertion for first metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis). Also, four new clinical guidelines were published.

On June 22, 2022, the document "Changes and innovations in the 2022 LKF model" (Änderungen und Neuerungen in den LKF-Modellen 2023) was published. The document summarizes the most significant changes and innovations in the LKF model for inpatient and outpatient care. The newly added procedure codes mainly concern cardiovascular, extracorporeal treatments, and peripheral vascular fields.

The HTA body of the Tuscany Regional Healthcare issues two types of documents: HTA forms and motivational forms. With regional decree 10778 of June 01, 2022, Tuscany Regional Healthcare has published assessments of nine medical devices in various therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular and peripheral vascular areas, surgical procedures, orthopedics, and dermatology.

In mid-June 2022, the Danish Health Data Agency (Sundhedsstyrelsen) published an update of the Health Care Classification System (Sundheds-væsenets Klassifikations System, SKS). The most significant changes include: 30 new diagnosis codes, 27 procedure codes, and 24 additional codes (Tillægskoder) were added. The newly added procedure codes mainly concern the orthopedics field, in addition to some other technology groups.