Germany Publishes OPS 2027 with More Than 200 New Procedure Codes Across Multiple Specialties

On 28 October 2026, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) published the final version of the German Operation and Procedure Classification System (OPS) for 2027, which will take effect on 1 January 2027. Together with the German Modification of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10-GM), the OPS provides the coding foundation for reimbursement systems in inpatient and outpatient care in Germany.

The 2027 update incorporates 141 proposals, submitted primarily by medical professional societies, healthcare professionals, sickness funds, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations.

The revised classification introduces more than 200 new procedure codes, expands existing coding categories, and revises coding requirements across several chapters. The most extensive changes concern Chapter 5 (Operations) and Chapter 8 (Non-operative Therapeutic Measures), alongside updates to Chapter 1 (Diagnostic Measures) and Chapter 6 (Medications).

The revisions cover a broad range of clinical and technological areas, including cardiovascular procedures, gastrointestinal interventions, ENT, pulmonology, orthopedics, general surgery, robotic surgery, radiotherapy, diagnostic imaging, and interventional radiology. 

Several examples of new codes particularly relevant to Med Tech are provided below:

• Cardiac ablation: New codes cover epicardial bipolar radiofrequency ablation performed through open surgical or endoscopic approaches. The codes distinguish procedures involving pulmonary vein isolation, the posterior wall of the left atrium, and other cardiac structures.
• Hernia repair: New codes cover endoscopic closure of incisional hernias using component separation and prosthetic or biological materials.
• Radiotherapy: New codes address radiation therapy planning with pre-fractional plan adjustment, including online adaptive radiotherapy.
• Coronary diagnostics: Existing coding for coronary angiography with intracoronary pressure-wire measurements has been expanded to explicitly include the determination of coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microvascular resistance (IMR).
• Robotic surgery: A separate additional code has been introduced for handheld surgical robots without a robotic arm, with defined technical requirements.

 What does it mean for the industry?

The OPS 2027 update introduces more detailed coding for a broad range of procedures and technologies, including advanced surgical techniques, invasive devices, robotic systems and diagnostics. As the OPS forms part of the coding foundation for German inpatient and outpatient reimbursement, these changes may have implications for how procedures involving specific technologies are classified and reimbursed.

Manufacturers should check whether the new or revised codes apply to procedures involving their products and assess the potential implications for the reimbursement arrangements ahead of January 2027.

This news is just one of about 300 market access news and updates collected by our team in the premium subscription service MTRC Access Intelligence every week from more than 80 organizations. Access our paid service to stay on top of all developments, specifically for your products in Europe (reimbursement news) and globally (HTA news). Access is organized as an online Database and email alert formats. Contact us to get a free, six-week, no-obligation trial.