Change from NUB to DRG funding for two medical procedures in Germany

On February 17, 2022, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has decided to include the method of matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (M-ACI) on the knee joint in the case of symptomatic cartilage damage in the lists of reimbursed procedures in the hospital and ambulatory settings.

The NHS Insights Prioritisation Programme (NIPP) is commissioned by the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is designed to accelerate the evaluation and implementation of innovation that supports post-pandemic ways of working, builds service resilience, and delivers benefits to patients. Fourteen projects have been funded and have now commenced activity that will be ongoing until March 2023.

On February 22, 2022, a repository of innovative acts outside the nomenclature of biology and anatomopathology (RIHN) and a Supplementary list of IVD tests were published. Minor changes were introduced in the 2022 RIHN list.

On February 16, 2022, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has published the decisions which recommended the transfer to standard care for three completed projects. The projects relate to the prevention of antibiotic resistance, improvement of healthcare in socially disadvantaged areas, and misuse of control colonoscopies in Germany.

In February 2022, two 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, thirty health apps are now available at the DiGA Directory.