Between the 3rd of June and the 15th of July, SwissDRG will be receiving the requests/suggestions regarding the DRG system in the country.

The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has signed a further contract for scientific monitoring and implementation of a trial study for NYHA III heart failure therapy optimization by means of continuous blood pressure measurement and monitoring using an implanted sensor in the pulmonary artery.

In April 2019, the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare announced the update of the common package of benefits of the Spanish national health system with the inclusion of cervical cancer screening, nipple and areola micropigmentation and update of orthoprosthesis catalog.

The report includes all published reimbursement decisions for IVD tests in 2018 in European countries with established frameworks for out-patient reimbursement laboratory tests (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland).

The report includes an overview of funding framework and all (as of May 2019) decisions from ultimate payers and decisions makers in England (NHS England, one CCG), Germany (G-BA), Netherlands (Zorginstituut Nederland), Norway (“New Methods” framework) and Switzerland (Federal Office of Public Health). More than 1000 decisions are included.

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.

Statutory health insured with chronic back pain can benefit in the future from a structured treatment program (Disease Management Program, DMP), as the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) outlined on 18th of April the substantive requirements for the new DMP.

The report presents a summary of reimbursement situation for cholecystectomy in Europe. Procedure codes for open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy will be provided in the analysis. The analysis covers procedure coding, payment mechanism, reimbursement tariffs and policy restrictions in 11 EU countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

At the end of April 2019, the network of European HTA agencies, EUnetHTA, published the “Custom-made or customizable 3D printed implants and cutting guides versus non-3D printed standard implants and cutting guides for improving outcome in patients undergoing knee, maxillofacial, or cranial surgery.”

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) regularly publishes new decisions about add-on reimbursement for medical devices. The decisions made in April 2019 concern orthopedic devices, coronary stents, ventricular assist devices, remote monitoring systems in cardiovascular field, cochlear implants, bronchial thermoplasty device.

The report presents a summary of the reimbursement situation report for percutaneous tibial neuromodulation in overactive bladder. The analysis covers procedure coding, payment mechanism, reimbursement tariffs and policy restrictions in 11 EU countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

In Sweden, the Priority Council of Skåne Region prepares and presents suggestions for new methods, routines, and treatments, to be included in the healthcare system. In April 2019, the HTA report for thrombectomy 6 to 24 hours after stroke was released. The health economic analysis showed that the use of thrombectomy during extended time frames is expected to be cost-saving in a socio-economic perspective and increases patient benefit measured in terms of won quality-adjusted life years.