Ultrasound

On January 1, 2025, the annual update of the Finnish NordDRG system came into force. A total of 54 new DRGs were introduced concerning cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, gastrointestinal, ENT, neurology and neurosurgery, men’s health, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, peripheral vascular, pulmonary and airways, spine, and surgical procedures fields.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new Interventional Procedures Guidance concerning endoscopic bipolar radiofrequency ablation for malignant biliary obstruction. Furthermore, one new clinical guideline was published, and two were updated.

On October 01, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the second release of the 2025 DRG package (RZ25b). Three new procedure codes, four new supplementary payments (OZPs), 18 new diagnosis codes, and two new DRGs will be implemented across gastroenterology, surgery, diagnostic imaging, molecular diagnostics, and other areas.

The Danish Health Data Authority quarterly updates the Health Care Classification System (SKS). The updated version was published in mid-September 2024 to come into force on October 1, 2024. Eight new medical procedure codes and one new code for diagnostic investigations were introduced concerning obstetrics and gynecology, extracorporeal treatments, spine, cardiovascular, e-health, diagnostic imaging, and some other fields.

On September 2, 2024, NHS England published guidance for planning, designing, and implementing Community diagnostic centers (CDCs). The national CDC Program is in its third year and has approved 170 CDC sites across England. The guidance sets the next steps and best practices in developing CDCs, including minimum requirements for core diagnostic tests that CDCs must provide permanently.

In August 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released eight MedTech-related assessments in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned automated devices for identifying peripheral arterial disease, left ventricular assist devices as destination therapy, cerclage suture type to prevent pregnancy loss, gynecological cancer surveillance in Lynch syndrome, multiparametric MRI in bladder cancer pathway, in-home monitoring for people with glaucoma, real-time ultrasound elastography of thyroid nodules, and AI-based software for analyzing chest X-ray images. 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.

The Danish Health Data Authority quarterly updates the Health Care Classification System (SKS). The updated version was published in mid-June 2024 to come into force on July 1, 2024. Six new surgical procedure codes, twenty new medical procedure codes, and nine new codes for diagnostic investigations were introduced concerning multiple areas, including diagnostic imaging, gastrointestinal, gynecology, orthopedics, and surgical procedures.

In May 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released one MedTech-related assessment in its Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Journal, which concerned Doppler ultrasound surveillance of a recently formed hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula. 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.

The Danish Health Data Authority (Sundheddatastyrelsen) quarterly updates the Health Care Classification System (Sundhedsvæsenets Klassifikations System, SKS). The updated version was published in mid-March 2024 to come into force on April 1, 2024. Nine new medical procedure codes, five new codes for diagnostic investigations, and ten new additional codes concerning cardiovascular, ENT, interventional radiology, pulmonary, endoscopy, pathology, and surgical procedures were introduced.

In December 2023, NHS England launched a consultation regarding proposed changes in the 2023/25 NHS Payment Scheme for the 2024/25 financial year. The key changes concerned the High Cost Device List, top-up payments for specialized services, and payment for radiotherapy. The deadline for submitting comments is January 26, 2024.

On December 19, 2023, the updated Finnish classification of procedures (THL) was published to come into force on January 1, 2024. Thirty-two new procedure codes were implemented concerning cardiovascular, endoscopy, neurology, orthopedic, and other fields.

In September 2023, the Skåne University Hospital is working on several HTAs, including evaluations in the cardiovascular, diagnostic imaging, men’s health, neurology and neurosurgery fields