Cardiovascular procedures

In mid-December 2025, a new version of the Common Classification of Medical Procedures (CCAM v.81), effective January 1, 2026, was published. Multiple changes were implemented, including the introduction of four new procedure codes, the provisional registration of four codes, the deletion of a few codes, the modification of tariffs for numerous activities/phases, and the amendment of existing services.

On December 3, 2025, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health published updates to the Healthcare Benefit Ordinance (KLV/OPre), which determines coverage of medical services in Switzerland. The changes will take effect on January 1, 2026, and relate to prophylactic vaccinations, cost containment measures, and other matters. The updates are also implemented in KLV Annexes, including the List of explicitly evaluated services (Annex 1), the outpatient-before-inpatient mandate (Annex 1a), the List of Medical Aids (Annex 2, MiGeL), and the List of Analyses (Annex 3, AL).

On November 28, 2025, the entity managing the DRG system in Switzerland, SwissDRG, published the final (billing) version of the 2026 DRG system. In total, 19 new DRGs related to cardiovascular, ENT, gastrointestinal, neurology and neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, and some other fields were introduced. Also, four new add-on reimbursement categories were added.

In November 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released four Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned procalcitonin evaluation of antibiotic use in COVID-19 hospitalized patients, comparison of the knee arthroplasty versus joint distraction for osteoarthritis, comparison of surgical approaches for mitral valve repair, as well as comparison of sample types for diagnostics of infected diabetic foot ulcers.

On November 13, 2025, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) announced that the 2026 Hybrid DRGs catalog had been approved. A total of 47 new Hybrid DRGs were added, including those for appendectomy, cholecystectomy, as well as minimally invasive procedures on the coronary arteries and peripheral vessels. In the area of orthopedic procedures, Hybrid DRGs have been expanded to include fracture osteosynthesis

On October 24, 2025, the BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) published the final version of the 2026 OPS procedure coding classification. The OPS, together with the ICD-10-GM (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, German Modification), forms the basis for the reimbursement systems in outpatient and inpatient care in Germany. Multiple new procedure codes were introduced in several fields, including cardiovascular, endoscopy, peripheral vascular, and orthopedics.

As of October 2025, the Dutch Healthcare Institute (ZIN) is working on coverage positions in several areas, including otorhinolaryngology, neurology, dental surgery, cardiovascular, and oncology fields.

The updated German Uniform Evaluation Standard (EBM) catalog came into force on October 1, 2025. The EBM catalog regulates the reimbursement of services in the public outpatient sector in Germany and is updated once a quarter (four times a year). Among other changes, a new code for the “ProHerz” health app was introduced.

On September 22, 2025, the final version of the document "Changes and innovations in the 2026 LKF model" was published. The main changes include the addition of 32 new procedure codes, the introduction of 19 procedure codes for billing in the day case settings, an update of case flat rates, and adjustments to the calculation of daily and procedural components per case. New procedure codes mainly concern e-health, endoscopy, interventional radiology, orthopedics, and pulmonology fields. No new DRGs were introduced, and two new provisional (NUB) codes were added.

On August 13, 2025, the BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) published the preliminary version of the 2026 OPS procedure coding classification. The OPS, together with the ICD-10-GM, forms the basis for the reimbursement systems in outpatient and inpatient care in Germany. The final version of the 2026 OPS procedure coding classification is expected to be published at the end of October 2025.

In August 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published three new Late Stage Assessments on transcatheter heart valves for TAVI, bed frames in acute medical or surgical hospital wards, and compression products for venous leg ulcers.

In July 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published one new Interventional Procedures Guidance on pulsed-field ablation in atrial fibrillation, one new Early Value Assessment on digital technologies in anxiety and depression, and two new Late Stage Assessments (One-piece closed bags for colostomies, intermittent urethral catheters for chronic incomplete bladder emptying).