Reimbursement

On May 1, 2024, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a message to amend the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) following a parliamentary mandate, which requires a change in how tariffs for laboratory analyses are determined. Instead of being set by the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), the tariffs of tests in the List of Analyses will be determined through negotiations between collective bargaining partners, streamlining the inclusion of innovative analyses and slowing down the increase in healthcare costs.

On April 18, 2024, the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Solidarity published the Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic, setting DRG tariffs and tariffs for other packages and supplements for 2024. New tariffs are applicable from March 1, 2024.

On March 31, 2024, the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Solidarity published a Decree in the Official Journal of the French Republic relating to the conditions of coverage of innovative IVD tests within the RIHN framework, which should facilitate the transition from the RIHN framework to regular reimbursement via the NABM Nomenclature.

On April 8, 2024, the updated version of the intra-DRG list of April 6, 2024, was published. One new device was registered, and other changes concerned modifying the registration conditions and renewing registration or extending the registration.

The Essential Levels of Care (LEA) defines outpatient specialist and prosthetic care guaranteed to the Italian population. Although the LEA document was brought in 2017, the national tariffs for outpatient specialist and prosthetic care were launched in April last year after seven years of development. They were supposed to come into effect on January 1, 2024 (later postponed to April 1, 2024). However, on March 27, 2024, the need for tariff revision and the new Decree postponing the tariffs until January 2025 was announced by the Italian Ministry of Health

On March 1, 2024, the updated Benefit Order was published in the Official Journal of the French Republic. Notable updates encompass modifications to existing emergency care supplements and the addition of new ones for non-hospitalized emergency care services, such as laboratory tests, imaging, specialist consultations, out-of-hours care, and specific provisions based on patient condition and age.

On February 28, 2024, the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Solidarity published an Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic setting the tariffs for the medical telemonitoring activities for patients with defibrillators and cardiac pacemakers. The half-yearly tariff for the distributor of digital medical devices is set at €550 per patient for the first 4,999 patients.

Between mid-January 2024 and mid-February 2024, 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 health insurers. In total, 56 health apps are currently available in the DiGA Directory, and six health apps were delisted from the Directory.

On January 22, 2024, NHS England published a 5-year implementation strategy for Hybrid closed loop (HCL) technologies following the NICE technology appraisal (TA943) publication. As a rule, commissioners and providers must implement TA recommendations within three months. However, an agreed five-year implementation will allow NHS to build specialist competencies and cost-effective procurement. NHS England will fund integrated care boards to reimburse the use of HCL systems

The LEA catalog was brought in 2017, but the tariffs were approved in 2023. The new tariffs for outpatient specialist care were supposed to enter into force on January 1, 2024, but the adoption of new tariffs was postponed to April 1, 2024, due to the technical inability of the Regions to implement the change in time.

In Belgium, kidney dialysis is reimbursed under a specific agreement (Convention) between the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) and chronic kidney failure centers starting in 2018. The current update of the Convention came into force on January 1, 2024, and is valid until December 31, 2026. Four new Pseudo-nomenclature codes for informing and training patients were added.

New Greek DRG system (Gr-DRG), which has been developed in collaboration with German Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (InEK), will be implemented in all Greek hospitals since March 01, 2024.