In January 2021, the NHS AI Lab has launched the guide to good practice for digital and data-driven health and care technologies to support innovators to understand what the NHS is looking for when it buys digital and data-driven technology for use in health and care. It is an update of the initially published guide in 2018, and now also reflect new initiatives, for example, the creation of the Centre for Improving Data Collaboration.

On January 18, 2021, a new version of the List of Reimbursable Products and Services (LPPR) was published. It contains new devices included in the LPPR list in November-December 2020, as well as other modifications made during this period. Newly-introduced devices belong to the cardiovascular (coronary stents), orthopedic, neuromodulation (deep brain stimulation), peripheral vascular (stent-grafts to treat aortic abdominal aneurysm), and other areas of care.

On January 20, 2021, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI-RIZIV) announced the reimbursement pathway for health apps. Health apps can now reach level M3 of the validation pyramid.

On December 30, 2020, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) published a report "Economic evaluation of telemonitoring to inform public decision-making", based on the systematic literature review. According to the results of the review, telemonitoring can be considered as a way to improve the organization of care and reduce care costs.

The Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment (AIHTA) completed a research project, “Lung cancer screening in risk groups: Systematic reviews of effectiveness and utility (part 1) and costs and budgetary consequences (part 2),” and published the reports in the mid of December 2020.

On December 28, 2020, the Government of the Russian Federation released a Decree which approved the program of State Guarantees in Health Care for 2021. The program determines the average level of financing of health care services, but most importantly, the list of procedures covered as part of the High-End Medical Care. The newly introduced High-End Medical Care lists changes concern the cardiovascular, neurological, ENT, surgical procedures, endocrine, orthopedics, dermatology, and other technology groups.

In December 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new medical technologies guidance (Zio XT for detecting cardiac arrhythmias), three Medtech innovation briefings (ReStore Soft Exo-Suit for gait rehabilitation, Cytosponge for detecting abnormal cells in the esophagus, and Evoke Spinal Cord Stimulator for managing chronic neuropathic or ischemic pain). Also, nine clinical guidance documents were updated.

On December 31, 2020, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) published a methodological guide clarifying aspects related to the organizational impact of health technologies under the evaluation. As the organizational impact can be documented when submitting an evaluation file for a drug, medical device, or a procedure, the guide aims to define the types of organizational impact and to propose criteria to measure these effects.

In early January 2021, the new reimbursable health app was introduced on the Directory of digital health applications (DiGAs) at the Federal Office for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). These applications can be prescribed by physicians and psychotherapists and will be reimbursed by health insurers.

On January 1, 2021, the DRG package for 2021 (RZ21) came into force to implement measures for remote provision of specialist medical care introduced during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, including four new codes for reimbursement of remote consultations.

The revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog came into force on January 1, 2021. The most significant changes include the increase of the reimbursement base rate and the introduction of many new surcharge fees in the area of radiotherapy services.

On December 23, 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the final document for updating the National Genomic Test Directory (Test Directory), as well as other documents supporting the application process for amendments. The deadline for applications submission for 2021/22 Test Directory is January 31, 2021.