In May 2023, the government revised the national budget and proposed changes in the central health administration's roles, organization, and responsibilities to be implemented on January 1, 2024. The reorganization includes the merger of the Directorate of Health and the Directorate of e-Health.

On April 5, 2023, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) announced the selection of thirty-five applications for Innovation Funding of healthcare research projects were accepted. A total of 231 applications were received in response to the funding announcement of June 27, 2022 (changed on September 20, 2022), and thirty-five of them were accepted.

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, Egholm et al. investigated the implementation of a national patient-reported outcomes (PRO) policy in Denmark which aims to enhance patient-centered approaches in healthcare and realize benefits at the individual patient level. The paper outlines the three key elements: developing standardized PRO instruments within specific clinical areas, establishing a PRO instrument repository, and creating a national IT infrastructure for data sharing. Furthermore, the authors provided an overview of the progress made after six years of implementation, highlighting the promising value of PRO instruments for both patients and healthcare professionals, as well as challenges in operationalizing the IT infrastructure and implementation across healthcare sectors.

On May 17, 2023, the Ministry of Health and Prevention published the 2023-2027 Digital Health Roadmap. The new roadmap specifies the priorities and the projects to be carried out by 2027. One of the key objectives is to support the implementation and extension of telemonitoring to more chronic pathologies.

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, Caro noted the increasing use of models to forecast disease outcomes and intervention effects, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the need for validation and systematic critical review of increasing numbers of models, the journal Pharmacoeconomics is launching a series of papers focusing on critical reviews of modeling approaches in specific disease areas, including pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions, as well as diagnostic procedures. The short introduction outlines the scope and coverage of the review papers in the series.

In late May 2023, the Norwegian Directorate of e-Health released an updated version of the Norwegian Laboratory code (NLK) system to be implemented no later than July 1, 2023. A total of 142 new codes were added, 33 codes were terminated, and 122 codes were amended.

On May 17, 2023, NHS England issued an updated version of the National Genomic Test Directory for cancer, which lists genomic tests commissioned by NHS England via Genomic Laboratory Hubs. Two new codes (test-indication combinations) were introduced.

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, Thokala et al. introduced the concept of “Living Health Technology Assessment (HTA)”, which is considered to be an approach to address the issue of outdated reports by establishing a process for regular updates. The authors described the practical implementation of the “living HTA” approach including the challenges and considerations involved and highlighted scenarios where “living HTA” could be especially advantageous.

Between late April and May 2023, three more health apps were introduced in the Directory of digital health applications (DiGAs) at the Federal Office for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and thus became reimbursable. These apps can be prescribed by physicians and psychotherapists and will be reimbursed by health insurers. In total, 47 health apps are currently available in the DiGA Directory, and six health apps were delisted from the Directory.

On May 03, 2023, the HAS invited professional organizations and patient associations to submit their applications for inclusion of the topics in the HAS 2024 work program. This is related only to requests to develop new/update existing HAS recommendations and not to the creation of novel procedure codes.

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, Michaels et al. described the challenges surrounding the implementation of evidence-based clinical guidelines developed by national authorities and organizations. The authors examined the conflicts (objectives, values, and preferences) between stakeholders that develop and those that should implement clinical guidelines by analysing the situation at the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in England. Furthermore, the authors discussed the implications of these conflicts and provided recommendations for implementing guidelines effectively.

The European Health and Digital Executive Agency signed the Service Contract for the Provision of Joint Health Technology Assessment Work Supporting the Continuation of EU Cooperation on HTA with the EUnetHTA 21 Consortium. The 24-month contract is due to expire on 16 September 2023, and the EUnetHTA 21 Consortium will cease operating as of this date.