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Switzerland

22
May 2025

The 2025 application process for changes in the Swiss procedure classification cancelled

On May 15, 2025, the Swiss Federal Statistics Office announced that the 2025 application process for the further development of the Swiss Classification of Surgical Procedures (CHOP), which would result in changes in the CHOP 2027, is cancelled due to the federal government's cost-saving measures. The CHOP and Coding Manual for 2027 will only be developed based on deferred applications.
13
May 2025

New outpatient tariff system approved in Switzerland

On April 30, 2025, the Federal Council approved the new outpatient reimbursement system, comprising the TARDOC catalog of individual service tariffs (ambulatory settings) and the flat-rate system (day case settings). The approval is valid until December 31, 2028, allowing for potential adjustments post-implementation. The TARDOC and outpatient flat rates will take effect on January 1, 2026.
07
Mar 2025

Obsan report confirms continued shift to outpatient care in Switzerland

On February 18, 2025, the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) published its 2023 report confirming the ongoing shift from inpatient to outpatient care in Switzerland. The number of procedures required to be performed in outpatient settings to be reimbursed expanded from six in 2019 to 18 in 2023, with outpatient costs two to eight times lower. Despite the shift, overall healthcare costs have risen due to an increase in treatment volumes.
24
Jan 2025

New health insurance association in Switzerland

On January 6, 2025, a new association in the Swiss health insurance industry, prio.swiss, began operations. It consolidates the efforts of two former associations, curafutura and santésuisse, and takes over their activities to represent the political and economic interests of the insured. The prio.swiss represents approximately 90% of individuals insured under Swiss mandatory health insurance system (OKP).
02
Jan 2025

The 2025 version of the SwissDRG released

On December 12, 2024, the entity managing the DRG system in Switzerland, SwissDRG, published the final (billing) version of the 2025 DRG system. In total, 23 new DRGs related to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nephrology and urology, neurology and neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonary and airways, and some other areas were introduced. Also, 17 new add-on reimbursement categories were implemented.
05
Dec 2024

Updates in the coverage of medical services in Switzerland in 2025

On December 2, 2024, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health published the changes that will occur to the Healthcare Benefit Ordinance (KLV/OPre), which determines coverage of medical services in Switzerland. The updates will enter into force on January 1, 2025, 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 Equipment (Annex 2), and the List of Analyses (Annex 3).
15
Nov 2024

The 2025 version of the Swiss CHOP code nomenclature published

On October 31, 2024, the Swiss Federal Statistics Office (UFS) released the systematic version of the procedure code (CHOP) nomenclature for 2025. The nomenclature is now available in German, Italian, and French languages and will come into force on January 1, 2025. Multiple new procedure codes were introduced in various fields, including endoscopy, extracorporeal treatments, in-vitro diagnostics, interventional radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, and radiotherapy.
07
Oct 2024

New comprehensive outpatient reimbursement system available for review in Switzerland

On September 18, 2024, the Organization for Outpatient Physician Tariffs (OAAT) AG announced that the comprehensive tariff system, including the TARDOC catalog of individual service tariffs and outpatient flat rates, is now available for review by interested parties. As emphasized by the OAAT AG, the new system has not been approved yet. After the partial approval by the Swiss Federal Council in June 2024, the implementation of the new system was postponed until January 2026.
27
Jun 2024

Implementation of new Swiss outpatient reimbursement system postponed until 2026

On June 19, 2024, the Swiss Federal Council granted partial approval to the new outpatient reimbursement system, consisting of the TARDOC catalog of individual service tariffs and the flat-rate system, which were developed independently. Adjustments were requested to ensure better coordination and adherence to cost neutrality. The full implementation of the new system is now postponed until 2026.
24
Jun 2024

Updates in the coverage of medical services in Switzerland in 2024

On June 18, 2024, 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 July 1, 2024, 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 Equipment (Annex 2), and List of Analyses (Annex 3).