UK

In May 2023, NICE announced that the Medtech innovation briefing (MIB) program was discontinued. MIBs were a part of the advice program at NICE commissioned by NHS England in 2014 to support the 5-Year Forward View and accelerate innovations. NICE will now focus on introducing new approaches to evaluating the most promising health technologies.

On May 17, 2023, NHS England issued an updated version of the National Genomic Test Directory for cancer, which lists genomic tests commissioned by NHS England via Genomic Laboratory Hubs. Two new codes (test-indication combinations) were introduced.

On April 28, 2023, the NHS Cancer Programme awarded £12.1 million to six innovations that improve the early detection and diagnosis of cancer. Awarded medical devices, in-vitro diagnostics, and digital health solutions are used to diagnose bowel, skin, liver, breast, ovarian, and esophageal cancer. They have proven their efficacy and clinical effectiveness and will be funded over the next 18 months to support rollout and real-world testing.

In March 2023, Health Technology Wales published an Evidence Appraisal Report (EAR) and Guidance on photobiomodulation for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis. Furthermore, seven Medtech-related Topic Exploration Reports (TER) were published, including single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation and AI-assisted ultrasound for deep vein thrombosis; however, Health Technology Wales will proceed with a full appraisal on one topic only - digital wound management tools.

In late April, NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative introduced the Health Technology Navigation Pathway Tool to help innovators adopt new technologies into the NHS. The Tool breaks the innovation journey down into 25 steps, themed around the five key phases of the product lifecycle, from creation to commissioning and adoption. For each step, the schematic flowchart outlines key organizations to engage with, regulatory insights, best practice approaches, policies, guidelines, to-do lists, and required outputs.

In April 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published seven new Interventional Procedure Guidance (concerned Daytime intraoral neuromuscular electrical tongue stimulation, endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage, maximal cytoreductive surgery in ovarian cancer, percutaneous thoracic duct embolization, radiofrequency ablation for spinal metastases, high-intensity focused ultrasound for prostate cancer), one new Medical Technologies Guidance (AposHealth for knee osteoarthritis), and one Medtech Innovation Briefing (Fasciotens for abdominal wall closure). Also, three clinical guidelines were updated.

In April 2023, the Clinical Coding and Schedule Development (CCSD) working group, which develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclatures for private payers in England, published Bulletins 189 and 085 with changes to be implemented no later than June 15, 2023. Eighteen new procedure codes (concerning cardiovascular, endocrine, endoscopy, gastrointestinal, interventional radiology, neuromodulation, peripheral vascular, robotic surgery, men's health, and general surgery fields) and eight new diagnostic codes were introduced.

In April 2023, NHS England published an updated version of the National Genomic Test Directory for 2023/2024, which lists tests commissioned by NHS England via Genomic Laboratory Hubs. Sixteen new codes (test-indication combinations) were introduced in the Test Directory for cancer, and 25 new codes in the Test Directory for rare and inherited diseases.

In March 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released two MedTech-related reports in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned total ankle replacement versus ankle arthrodesis in end-stage osteoarthritis, and techniques for managing an impacted fetal head during emergency cesarean section. 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 (NICE) guidance.

OPCS-4 is the clinical coding classification of interventions and procedures undertaken within the NHS in England. It is updated every three years, reflecting current clinical practice to be used for statistical purposes and reimbursement. On April 1, 2023, a new version (OPCS-4.10) came into force. A total of 236 new four-character codes were introduced in multiple areas, including cardiovascular, endoscopy, ENT, gastrointestinal, urology, neurology, gynecology, breast reconstruction, and others.

In March 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new Interventional Procedure Guidance (percutaneous transluminal renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension, endoluminal gastroplication for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), three new Health Technology Evaluations via piloted early value assessment approach (CaRi-Heart for predicting cardiac risk in suspected coronary artery disease, ProKnow cloud-based system for radiotherapy data storage, and Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID Kit for detecting a genetic variant), and two new MedTech Innovation Briefings (QBTest and BPMpathway). No new clinical guidelines were published.

In late March 2023, NHS England released the 2023/25 NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) to come into force on April 1, 2023. NHSPS has been set for two years, replacing the National Tariff Payment System (published annually). The NHSPS specifies payment conditions for NHS-funded secondary care.