Orthopedic procedures

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.

On June 7, 2022, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the overview of the 32 innovative healthcare research projects that will be funded, including those belonging to the eHealth technology group.

On June 7, 2022, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the overview of the 32 innovative healthcare research projects that will be funded. The projects concerning the technologies belonging to eHealth, obstetrics and gynecology, pulmonary and airways, orthopedics, and other technology groups received funding.

In April 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new Interventional Procedure Guidance (intramedullary distraction for upper limb lengthening, liposuction for chronic lymphoedema). Also, one new clinical guideline on epilepsies in children, young people, and adults was published, and one for stroke and transient ischaemic attack in over 16s was updated.

On April 4, 2022, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) announced funding from the G-BA Innovation Fund for 18 innovative healthcare research projects dedicated to medical guidelines.

In March 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published five new Interventional Procedure Guidance (endoscopic balloon dilation for subglottic or tracheal stenosis, intramedullary distraction for lower limb lengthening, endoscopic full thickness removal of gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach, percutaneous insertion of a cystic duct stent after cholecystostomy, and liposuction for chronic lipoedema), four new Medical Technologies Guidance (myCOPD, UroShield, Prontosan for wounds, and 3C Patch for diabetic foot ulcers), one new Diagnostic Guidance (terminated assessment of Freelite assays for multiple myeloma), and six new Medtech Innovation Briefings (Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID System, icobrain for multiple sclerosis, Al for analyzing chest X-ray images, and others). Also, three new clinical guidelines were published, and six were updated.

In February 2022, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in England released six MedTech-related reports in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned biomarkers for assessing acute kidney injury, non-invasive testing for neovascular macular degeneration, decision support tool to prevent falls in older people, endometrial scratch, distal radius fracture, and test for group B Streptococcus. HTA Journal publishes research reports on the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage, and provide care in the NHS and informs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

On February 17, 2022, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has decided to include the method of matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (M-ACI) on the knee joint in the case of symptomatic cartilage damage in the lists of reimbursed procedures in the hospital and ambulatory settings.

Since 2019, several low-cost and simple procedures in Belgium have been reimbursed not via individual INAMI fees but APR-DRG groups. This funding system is called “Low Variability Care”. On January 26, 2022, the list of APR-DRG groups and corresponding reimbursement amounts for 2022 was published.