In December 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released four Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned cervical ripening during labor induction in different settings, fasciectomy surgery for Dupuytren's contracture in adults, hybrid closed-loop systems in type 1 diabetes, point-of-care tests for urinary tract infections. 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 NICE guidance.

In January 2025, it was announced that two Benchmark centers, departments, and units of the Spanish National Health System (CSURs) were designated, and two CSURs were redesignated for previously approved pathologies and procedures in the cardiovascular field.

Starting January 12, 2025, Norway joined the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation (HTAR) framework, a collaborative European initiative for method assessments. In 2024, a national working group assessed how to integrate HTAR into the "New Methods" framework. The Norwegian Medical Products Agency (NOMA) will be the key organization representing Norway and contributing to the development of Joint Clinical Assessments (JCAs) of medicines and medical devices.

MTRC announces the launch of a new service designed to further enhance the decision-making process: Market Size Analysis for medical devices in Europe.

On January 10, 2025, the Finnish classification of procedures (THL) was updated. Seven procedure codes concerning radiology, diagnostic imaging, and other fields were introduced to come into force on February 1, 2025.

On January 6, 2025, NHS England, jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care, published the plan to reform elective care. The key commitment is to return to a standard where 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. To achieve this, NHS England has proposed an action plan, including financial incentives for elective care in areas with the longest waiting list.

Our goal at MTRC is to inform the decision-making of our clients and to support their market access activities. Below is a snapshot of our planned activities for the next two weeks. This can help our existing and prospective clients to understand the potential scope of our support better. From the week of the 27th of January, we plan to work on 17 projects. Review the complete list of planned activities in this post.

MTRC pleased to share our key insights on the most important developments in European market access for medical technologies and in-vitro diagnostic tests in 2024.

On January 6, 2025, a new association in the Swiss health insurance industry, prio.swiss, began operations. It consolidates the efforts of two former associations, curafutura and santésuisse, and takes over their activities to represent the political and economic interests of the insured. The prio.swiss represents approximately 90% of individuals insured under Swiss mandatory health insurance system (OKP).

In January 2025, the Common Catalog of Genetic and Genomic Tests of the National Health System was updated in Spain. A new section, “Respiratory medicine,” was added, including 29 tests for multiple respiratory diseases.

The Federal Ministry of Health summarized multiple changes in the healthcare system that will be introduced in 2025. The most important ones relate to the further steps in digitalizing healthcare and hospital reform.

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, Furman et al. conducted a qualitative analysis of hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) implementation in Poland to address the growing need for evidence-based evaluation of healthcare investments. The study found that while HB-HTA enhances decision-making capabilities and strengthens staff expertise, its adoption remains limited due to insufficient organizational and financial incentives.