On April 25, 2024, the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Solidarity published an Order in the Official Journal of the French Republic setting the tariffs for digital medical devices with therapeutic functions covered within the early digital support (PECAN) scheme. The tariff for the manufacturer will include an initial lump sum of €435 per patient billable for up to 3 months and a subsequent monthly package of €38.30. The maximum amount of financial compensation is €780 per year per patient.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Zisis et al. conducted a systematic literature review to assess the current use and acceptance of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) in health technology assessment (HTA) processes. The authors aimed to discern stakeholders' viewpoints on RWD and RWE, highlighting obstacles, difficulties, prospects, and consequences associated with their incorporation into HTA. The review emphasized the importance of recognizing regional nuances, addressing methodological challenges, and promoting collaboration for leveraging RWD and RWE effectively in healthcare decision-making.

The Danish Health Authority has initiated a process of assessing the national clinical recommendations. Work is set to start in 2024. Recommendations in diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, endocrine, ENT, gastrointestinal, nephrology and urology, neurology and neurosurgery, neuromodulation, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pulmonary and airways, radiotherapy, spine, and some other fields are considered for reassessment.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Milstein et al. conducted a comprehensive review of reforms to Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) payment systems across ten high-income countries. The authors aimed to provide an overview of the latest reforms and their evidence to date, highlighting a shift from volume-based to value-based payment mechanisms in hospital care. The findings revealed diverse reform trends, including reductions in DRG-based payments, episode-based payments, and incentives to promote care delivery in less costly settings, reflecting efforts to improve the quality of care while controlling healthcare expenditures.

On May 3, 2024, the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare awarded £3.2 million to 22 innovations to improve patient care and save money while making the NHS greener. These include projects to explore the decontamination and recycling of single-use plastics, the use of at-home finger prick blood tests, and health apps.

On May 07, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (ZIN) published the updated list of medical procedures reimbursed under basic health insurance with restrictions or limitations. The additional indications for autologous fat transplantation after a total breast removal were newly introduced to the list.

On April 18, 2024, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) announced the submission of requests for registration in the 2025 HAS Good Practice Recommendations Work program – for professional organizations and in the 2025 HAS Work program – for patient associations.

On May 1, 2024, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a message to amend the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) following a parliamentary mandate, which requires a change in how tariffs for laboratory analyses are determined. Instead of being set by the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), the tariffs of tests in the List of Analyses will be determined through negotiations between collective bargaining partners, streamlining the inclusion of innovative analyses and slowing down the increase in healthcare costs.

On May 01, 2024, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the first release of the 2025 DRG package (RZ25a). Three new procedure codes, five new supplementary payments, four new diagnosis codes and one new DRG will be implemented across gynecology, cardiology, neurology and neurosurgery, and other technology groups.

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 April 2024. Eighteen recommendations were published concerning the registration of medical devices or modification of registration conditions/extension of indications for the medical devices in the List of Reimbursable Products and Services (LPPR). Opinions concern cardiovascular, neurovascular, gastrointestinal, interventional radiology, nephrology and urology, neuromodulation, and orthopedic devices, as well as medical aids.

On May 6, 2024, the Swedish Medical Technologies Product (MTP) Council commissioned the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV) to perform a health economic evaluation of MR-guided focused ultrasound (Exablate Neuro) for the treatment of patients with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. This evaluation is a part of the Orderly introduction framework, a staged process aimed at managing the national introduction of novel technologies. Based on the TLV assessment, the MTP Council will make recommendations to regions regarding the implementation of the technology and the criteria for use.

MTRC shares the most relevant and impactful publications in the field of market access and HEOR for medical technologies in Europe through its Publications Digest. In a recent publication, Haig et al. developed a comprehensive framework for assessing the value of novel patient-facing Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) used in chronic disease management. The authors utilized a combination of literature review and primary data collection via a three-round web-Delphi exercise involving stakeholders from the USA, the UK, and Germany, resulting in a framework comprising 33 stable indicators across various domains. This framework elicits stakeholder value preferences to guide efficient and evidence-based decision-making in assessing these technologies.