UK

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In July new codes for aminoglycoside induced deafness testing, Intra-Operative PTH profile, cytokine panels and lymphocyte immunophenotyping, streptococcus pneumoniae by PCR, OCT for cardiology, contract-enhanced ultrasound and faecal immunochemistry test were added to the CCSD Schedule.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In July new codes for percutaneous paravalvular leak closure, endoscopic vacuum therapy for colorectal anastomotic leakage and phonomicrosurgery for vocal cord lesions, nodules, polyps, or cysts were added to the CCSD Schedule.

A national ‘pause’ has been announced in the use of surgical mesh/tape to treat stress urinary incontinence and for urogynaecological prolapse where the mesh is inserted through the vaginal wall. A Mesh Pause Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) was established. Further recommendations and CAG guidance on implementation of the pause has been published.

In the first half of July, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new Diagnostics Guidance for biomarker tests to help diagnose preterm labour in women with intact membranesand one new medtech innovation briefing for airglove air warming system for venous access.

This guide offers useful guidance on emergency patient flow to identify a large cohort of patients who can safely be treated on the same day, reducing admissions and improving the patient experience.

In the second half of June, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedure guidance for laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy for internal rectal prolapse and MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for treatment-resistant essential tremor, and two new medtech innovation briefings for negative pressure wound therapy for closed surgical incision wounds and ocular response analyzer to measure corneal hysteresis.

A national ‘pause’ has been announced in the use of surgical mesh/tape to treat stress urinary incontinence and for urogynaecological prolapse where the mesh is inserted through the vaginal wall. This pause takes the form of a high vigilance restriction, and all cases should be postponed immediately if it is clinically safe to do so.

Hundreds of patients each year will benefit from fourteen new innovative treatments that will now be routinely available. These treatments include several devices and procedures: keraprosthesis for corneal blindness, left atrial appendage occlusion, selective dorsal rhizotomy and total pancreatectomy with islet transplantation for chronic pancreatitis.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In June, new codes for genetic testing,including single gene tests and gene panel tests, next generation sequence and molecular profiling tests were added to the CCSD Schedule.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. In June, new codes for laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy, robotic assisted total knee replacement, abdominal (mesenteric) and limb angiogram were added to the CCSD Schedule.

In the first half of June, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new interventional procedure guidance for Intranasal phototherapy for allergic rhinitis and one new medtech innovation briefing for lung volume analysis in emphysema.

In the second half of May, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedure guidance for low-level laser therapy for preventing or treating oral mucositis caused by radiotherapy or chemotherapy and endoscopic bipolar radiofrequency ablation for treating biliary obstruction caused by cancer.