Reimbursement

New material codes and related conditions of reimbursement for anchoring and fixation implants for soft tissue were added to the List of reimbursable devices of the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) in August 2020.

In late September 2020, the Swedish version of NordDRG for 2021 was issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). Four (4) new DRGs were added, and few minor changes in DRG names and logic were made.

On September 30, 2020, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland, ZIN) published the position that transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with aortic stenosis and a high risk of surgery is eligible for reimbursement under basic health insurance package.

New material codes and related conditions of reimbursement for middle ear implants were added to the List of reimbursable devices of the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) in August 2020.

On August 6, 2020, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health published an Order (of August 4, 2020) listing the rotational atherectomy systems ROTAPRO and ROTALINK PLUS of the company Boston Scientific under Title V of the list of reimbursable products and services provided for in Article L. 165-1 of the Social Security Code (LPPR List).

NHS England announced that the specialized High-Cost Tariff-Excluded Devices (HCTED) program is restarted working with NHS providers and NHS Supply Chain colleagues, throughout July and August 2020.

In mid-August 2020, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) published the preliminary 2021 version of OPS procedure coding nomenclature. Numerous content updates and new procedure codes inclusion concern the chapters 1 “Diagnostic measures,” 5 “Operations,” and 8 “Non-operative therapeutic measures.” The list of new endoscopy-related procedure codes added under the respective OPS sub-chapters of chapters 1 and 5 is provided below:

Earlier in September 2020, the Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA) released a synopsis of the ongoing research project “Reimbursement decisions for medical procedures in Austria: An analysis of factors – besides clinical evidence – influencing reimbursement decisions for the hospital benefit catalog 2010-2020.”

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) released new decisions about intra-DRG reimbursement of medical devices from the meetings of the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (CNEDiMTS) in July 2020. Decisions concern cardiac sutureless valve bioprostheses and implantable devices for the treatment of urinary incontinence.

From October 1, 2020, balneophototherapy can also be used for patients with moderate to severe neurodermatitis and billed via the EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard). So far, dermatologists have only been able to use the method for patients with psoriasis.

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) released new decisions about add-on and medical aid reimbursement of many medical devices from the meetings of the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (CNEDiMTS) in August 2020. Decisions concern cartilage implant, energy return prosthetic feet, and Yttrium-90 microspheres.

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) released new decisions about add-on and medical aid reimbursement of many medical devices from the meetings of the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (CNEDiMTS) in July 2020. Decisions concern drug-eluting coronary stents, TAVI, orthopedic appliances, wound dressing, stoma obturator, toric intraocular lens.