Market access is a rapidly changing field and the landscape varies from country to country. To provide an additional, easy-to-access source of high-level information about key themes in the market access landscape for medical technologies and in-vitro diagnostic tests, MTRC launched Knowledge Zone on the website. Currently, Knowledge Zone includes information about the payment model, funding (post-reimbursement approval by payers), and role of HTA for five key European countries: England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In the coming weeks, the Zone will expand to other European countries.

On November 22, 2023, the Swiss Federal Council approved the digital transformation program in the healthcare system to accelerate the implementation of the Swiss health data space. To implement the program over ten years (2025 – 2034), the Federal Council is applying to Parliament for a commitment loan of 392 million francs.

On December 1, 2023, the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV) updated several articles of the Nomenclature. New procedure codes with reimbursement fees and associated conditions concerning cardiovascular, neurology, and obstetrics fields were added.

On November 29, 2023, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) published an update of the methodological guide on the assignment of the HAS label to a good practice recommendation developed by a professional organization.

On November 30, 2023, the entity managing the DRG system in Switzerland, SwissDRG, published the final version of the 2024 DRG system. In total, 34 new DRGs were introduced, and they concern cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, men’s health, nephrology and urology, neurology and neurosurgery, neuromodulation, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonary, and some other technology groups. Also, two new add-on reimbursement categories were introduced.

In November 2023, 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 posterior hypofractionated whole breast radiotherapy for early breast cancer treatment. 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.

Health technology assessment plays an important role in market access for medical technologies in England. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the key HTA organization with several programs dedicated to the assessment of medical technologies. One of the key med tech-related programs at NICE is the Interventional Procedures Program. MTRC developed an analytical White Paper with a summary of clinical evidence requirements for Interventional Procedures Program at NICE.

The French National Authority for Health (HAS) released new recommendations about add-on reimbursement of medical devices and medical aids from the meetings of the National Commission for Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (CNEDiMTS) in November 2023. Seven recommendations were published in relation to the registration of medical devices in the List of reimbursable products and services (LPPR). Opinions concern cardiovascular, nephrology and urology, and orthopedic devices, as well as medical aids.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, two new health technology assessments were initiated by the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System (AOTMiT). The assessments belong to the cardiovascular and neurovascular technology groups.

On November 14, 2023, the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (InEK) published the DRG catalog (Fallpauschalen-Katalog) with the list of DRGs and additional reimbursement categories (ZEs) for 2024.

In November 2023, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published four new Interventional Procedure Guidance (percutaneous thrombectomy for pulmonary embolism, percutaneous transarterial carotid artery stent placement for asymptomatic extracranial carotid stenosis, biodegradable subacromial spacer insertion for rotator cuff tears, extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal for acute respiratory failure) and one Health Technology Evaluation using early value assessment (virtual reality technologies for treating agoraphobia or agoraphobic avoidance). Also, five clinical guidelines were updated.

The HTA body of the Tuscany Regional Healthcare issues three types of documents: full HTA reports, rapid HTA reports, and motivational forms. With regional decree 24192 of November 15, 2023, Tuscany Regional Healthcare published one assessment and one re-assessment of medical devices in the cardiovascular and men's health areas.