Shockwave Medical, the manufacturer of the Coronary Lithoplasty® System for the treatment of calcified coronary artery stenosis, requested a consultation by the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) to find out whether their device requires an early benefit assessment according to §137h of the Social Code Book V (SGB V). The G-BA decided that the technology is highly invasive and innovative and therefore will need to undergo benefit assessment to be granted innovation funding.

NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK have teamed up with leading companies from the tech sector to fight against obesity and Type 2 diabetes using innovative digital products.

EUnetHTA has published project plan of rapid assessment of TAVI procedure in patients with intermediate risk. Current plan describes the design and methodology of the assessment, list of involved reviewers, stakeholders and timelines of the project. The final report will be prepared till the end of January 2018.

In the first half of November, HAS published a set of decisions about add-on reimbursement of medical devices that were evaluated by the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (CNEDiMTS). These decisions concern orthopedic devices (double-mobility cup, meniscal repair system), electrodes for radiofrequency ablation, portable oxygen concentrator, drug–coated balloons and other devices.

We have developed a one-day training in market access for IVD companies, covering essential areas of reimbursement, funding, health technology assessment, the role of clinical and economic evidence, stakeholder engagement. The seminar is based on the in-house expertise and extensive interview program with laboratory experts. During the course, both general aspects of market access and specific pathways for IVD tests in 12 European countries are reviewed. CEO Oleg Borisenko performs seminar on the client’s facility.

In the first half of November, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published two new interventional procedures guidance (for total distal radioulnar joint replacement in symptomatic joint instability or arthritis and extracranial to intracranial bypass in intracranial atherosclerosis), one new diagnostics guidance for tests to identify people at high risk of ovarian cancer and four new Medtech innovation briefings.

The Austrian HTA body LBI-HTA performed a systematic review of health economic evaluations of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) compared to medical treatment and surgical aortic valve replacement for inoperable and operable patients with high or moderate surgical risk. The result of the review have only limited transferability to Austria, and LBI-HTA concluded, that the currently applied selection of patients based on clinical parameters can be considered as good practice.

The Nomenclature is used to code all health care interventions in public sector. It is a foundation for payment using Russian diagnosis-related groups. Nomenclature will come into force 1st of January 2018.

Annual report from the Italian Society of Interventional Cardiology (GISE) shows increasing trends in procedural volume of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI), mitral clip implantations, closure of left atrial appendage (LAA) and patent foramen ovale (PFO).

After successful trial application by a manufacturer (St. Jude Medical, now part of Abbott), the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) decided to conduct a co-funded study to create evidence about the measurement and monitoring of pulmonary artery pressure using an implanted sensor called “CardioMEMS™ HF System” to optimize therapy in NYHA III heart failure. The G-BA released a trial guideline defining the key points of the planned study, including type and duration of the study, target population and control intervention.

The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group develops and maintains procedural and diagnostics nomenclature for private payers in England. New codes were added for trans-oral robotic surgery and joint replacement surgery.

A manufacturer (PQ Bypass) requested a consultation by the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) about the eligibility of their medical device for an early benefit assessment according to §137h of the Social Code Book V (SGB V). The technology (PQ Bypass Stent Graft System) is a fully-percutaneous femoral-popliteal bypass procedure for peripheral arterial disease. The G-BA argued that the method is not based on the use of a high-risk medical device and therefore does not have to undergo a §137h assessment.