UK

In March 2019, NICE published an updated version of its evidence standards framework for digital health technologies (DHTs) that sets out the evidence requirements for different types of DHTs.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development (CCSD) group develop and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. New procedure codes concern cytoreductive surgery for colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis, cytoreductive surgery for ovarian malignancies, therapeutic sialendoscopy, intra corporeal salivary gland lithotripsy, and others and diagnostic codes for tests for common and rare mutations.

HealthTech Connect, a new online resource provided by NICE to help identify and support new health technologies as they move from inception to adoption in the UK health and care system, was formally launched April 29th, 2019. The system, which is free to use, will help companies to understand what information is needed by decision makers in the UK health and care system, and clarify possible routes to market access.

On the 5th of April, 2019, NHS Improvement has announced the start of implementation of same day emergency care model, which is a provision of same day care for emergency patients who would otherwise be admitted to hospital. Headaches, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, pneumonia, cellulitis, and diabetes are available for the treatment in a framework of same day emergency care model.

At the end of April of 2019, the NHS England has announced the start of routine commissioning of pioneering brain surgery in two UK hospitals. The highly complex procedure involves inserting a device directly into the brain to stimulate hearing pathways, bypassing the cochlea and auditory nerve that have not developed properly. About 15 children per year would be assessed for auditory brainstem implantation, and about nine would go on to have the surgery, which costs around £60,000 per patient.

In April 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published two new interventional procedure guidance for endoscopic ablation for an anal fistula and a pilonidal sinus, and two new MedTech innovation briefings for urine test for detecting bladder cancer in people with symptoms associated with malignancy and imaging software designed to help clinicians to diagnose and stage liver disease.

Starting April 1, 2019, NHS England opens in a new window, and NHS Improvement comes together to act as a single organization.

The 2019/20 national tariff payment system has been published and took on the 1st of April 2019. There have been no substantial changes to the proposed tariff consulted on during January and February 2019. Under the published tariff, blended payment will be the default payment approach for emergency care services.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development (CCSD) group develop and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. New diagnostic codes concern circulating tumor DNA profile for the different type of cancers, myriad Prolaris test, PET Scan with florbetapir, etc. and a procedure code for robotic-assisted radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy. The codes are introduced with a recommended adoption date being the 1st of May 2019. The documents also contain a list of textual changes in codes and an updated list of unacceptable combinations of codes.

The Academic Health Science Networks in partnership with the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) launched a report of the MedTech landscape aimed at accelerating the entry, adoption, and spread of innovations for the benefit of patients and commercial success.

The 13 innovations joining the NHS Innovation Accelerator were announced on March 5, 2019, as part of an event to launch the fourth year of this award-winning national accelerator.

The NHS Long Term Plan announced, on March 7, 2019, that the NHS will ensure that patients with type 1 diabetes will benefit from life changing flash glucose monitors from April 2019. This will end the variation patients in some parts England are facing. The new guidance sets out the criteria for flash glucose monitoring and the maximum amounts CCGs will be reimbursed for the ongoing costs of the flash glucose sensors.