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News and blog posts

17
Sep 2018

Update of HTA of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of prostate cancer in Austria

On 20th of July, 2018, the Austrian HTA body, the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute (LBI) has published an update of the HTA of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of prostate cancer. The report did not find the evidence of benefits of the treatment vs comparative treatments. The inclusion of the method hospital benefit catalogue was currently not recommended.
14
Sep 2018

The discussion regarding the establishment of the minimum quantity requirements for the surgical treatment of lung and breast cancer was initiated by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) in July of 2018

In July of 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has initiated the discussion regarding the establishment of the minimum quantity requirements for the surgical treatment of breast cancer and bronchial carcinoma. As the quality of surgery is directly dependent on the quantity, the number of operations performed at hospital and on the designated surgeon, the objective is to understand the importance of the experience and routine practice of the operations to reach the successful treatment outcomes and to determine a minimum number of operations, which should be performed in hospitals to gain enough experience.
13
Sep 2018

The Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency has updated the product group codes from the classification of consumables

In July of 2018, the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (Tandvårds-Läkemedelförmånsverket, TLV) has updated the product group codes for consumables for better understanding the range of the products. Editorial changes to the codes' descriptions were implemented. Seven new groups for stomach products, plates and bags of different types, which are especially intended for children have been included in the classification.
11
Sep 2018

The update of Disease Management Program for Diabetes Mellitus type 2 was commissioned to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) at the end of June of 2018

At the end of June of 2018, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has commissioned to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) to provide an update of the Disease Management Program (DMP) for Diabetes Mellitus type 2 in order to perform a systematic research, make a selection of guidelines based on methodological criteria and extract guideline recommendations relevant for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus type 2. The final report is expected to be released on the 31st of December, 2019.
10
Sep 2018

Ten new diagnostic codes were added to private reimbursement schedule in England in July 2018

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.
09
Sep 2018

MTRC starts to provide service of analysis of procedure and diagnosis volume in European countries

MTRC performs the analysis using administrative databases. Reporting of procedure volume is done according to the established procedural classifications (e.g., OPCS in England, OPS in Germany). Data are available for Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In other countries, it might be possible to obtain data from patient registries or clinical societies.
06
Sep 2018

Heli-FX™ EndoAnchor™ in endovascular aneurysm repair of abdominal and thoracic aorta: Italian regional report available

Emilia Romagna Region published a rapid assessment report on the Medtronic’s Heli-FX™ EndoAnchor™ system. The authors concluded that published literature is of poor quality (mainly non-comparative studies) and mostly includes patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm. Data on the use of the device for thoracic aorta aneurysm repair are extremely limited.