Screening

In February 2023, it was announced that the Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment (OSTEBA) initiated several HTAs, including evaluations in the e-health, radiology, nephrology and urology, cardiovascular, IVD, obstetrics and gynecology, diagnostic imaging, radiotherapy, neurovascular, ENT, interventional radiology, surgical procedures, and some other fields.

On January 24, 2023, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare recommended introducing a national screening program for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in newborns. It will identify children with a homozygous deletion in the SMN1 gene and 1–3 copies of the SMN2 gene. SMA testing must be included in the existing newborn screening (so-called PKU test). The launch of the new screening program is expected in the summer of 2023.

On December 19, 2022, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) issued a draft release of the DRG package for 2024, including new procedure codes, new diagnosis codes, and several new DRGs. These changes concern pulmonary, gynecology, ENT, orthopedics, and other technology groups.

On December 16, 2022, a decision of the National Union of Health Insurance Funds (UNCAM) relating to the update of the NABM Nomenclature for IVD tests was published in the Official Journal of the French Republic. Various changes were introduced, including the inclusion of new codes, modifications of the existing ones, and tariff changes.

On December 1, 2022, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health published the changes that will occur to the Services Ordinance (KLV/OPre), which determines coverage of medical services in Switzerland. The updates will enter into force on January 1, 2023, and they relate to the list of explicitly evaluated services (Annex 1 of KLV/OPre), outpatient-before-hospital services (Annex 1a), List of Tools and Appliances(Annex 2), and List of Analyses (Annex 3).

On November 17, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Prevention published the Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic on the extension of the national newborn screening by laboratory diagnostics to seven more diseases (inborn errors of metabolism).

On October 19, 2022, it was announced by the Ministry of Health that the 2023 General State Budget in the field of health would comprise €2,746.17 million, which is €199.32 million (7.83%) more than in 2022. The aim is to strengthen the National Health System (SNS) and achieve a more robust, more equitable, and more modern system capable of adapting to the population's health needs.

On September 5, 2022, it was announced that the Interterritorial Council for the Spanish National Health System (CISNS) approved the distribution of funds to the Autonomous Communities for the fight against cancer. The aim is to boost the screening programs for colorectal and cervical cancer.

On August 25, 2022, the Norwegian Directorate of Health announced the launch of the National screening program for colorectal cancer (Bowel screening program - Tarmscreeningprogrammet). All 55-year-old men and women will be included in the program and offered a test to identify invisible blood in the stool (fecal immunochemical test, FIT) every two years until the age of 65. Colonoscopy will be offered in case of positive FIT.

In June 2022, the National Board of Health and Welfare published the report "Towards a more coordinated cancer screening", which outlined measures taken to improve coordination in the area of cancer screening, and proposals for developing screening programs for early detection of cancer.

On May 13, 2022, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the decisions, in which they recommended the transfer to standard care for three completed projects. The projects relate to healthcare coordination, polypharmacy, and neonatal screening.

In May 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Research in England released three MedTech-related reports in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned colonoscopy surveillance following adenoma removal and transfer of thawed frozen embryo versus fresh embryo to improve the healthy baby rate in women undergoing IVF, and digital smartphone intervention for schizophrenia. 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 guidance.