Pulmonary diseases

In August 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published three new Interventional Procedure Guidance (magnetic resonance therapy for knee osteoarthritis, laparoscopic removal of uterine fibroids with power morcellation, hysteroscopic mechanical tissue removal for uterine fibroids), and six new Medtech Innovation Briefings (PLASMA system with button electrode, Immunoscore, MMprofiler, Patient Status Engine, lung texture analysis, Colli-Pee). Also, five clinical guidelines were published.

In June 2021, twelve clinical guidelines were released in Russia: perforated ulcer, bronchial asthma, multiple pregnancy, and others. Furthermore, the orders on the approval of the several standards of medical care entered into force, including standards for the provision of medical care for adults with ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and pulmonary hypertension, including chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

For the first time in three years, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) received data within the framework of the early benefit assessment of new examination and treatment methods (NUB) with high-risk medical devices according to §137h of Social Code Book (SGB) V. This involves seven invasive therapeutic cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, gastrointestinal, and urological procedures.

On January 28, 2021, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the first overview of the 28 innovative projects on new forms of medical care that will be funded. The projects concerning the technologies belonging to the cardiovascular, eHealth, orthopedic, neurology, nephrology, and other technology groups received funding.

On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated whether (former) heavy smokers within statutory health insurance (SHI) should be offered lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT).

On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has researched current evidence-based guidelines on the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), summarized their recommendations and checked the need for updates for the COPD disease management program (DMP).

The revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog came into force on April 1, 2020. MTRC has compiled the selection of the most significant changes.

In early February 2019, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, announced the final report of the project OTCA12 “C-reactive protein point-of-care testing (CRP POCT) to guide antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs)”.