Orthopedic procedures

On May 22, 2026, the Innovation Committee of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published the decisions recommending the transfer of several other completed projects on new forms of care and healthcare research to standard care.

On June 2, 2026, OAAT AG and the tariff partners submitted the 2027 revision of the new Swiss comprehensive outpatient reimbursement system to the Federal Council for approval. The revision further develops the new system introduced in January 2026, incorporating feedback from the annual application process and focusing on updates to outpatient flat rates and TARDOC across nuclear medicine, surgery, pathology, pediatrics, and emergency care. If approved, the revised version will take effect on January 1, 2027.

In March 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released five Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned eye screening programs in diabetes, surgical and non-surgical splint treatment for finger fractures, diagnostic strategies for ovarian cancer, biomarkers for outcomes prediction in adults with suspected sepsis, and diagnostic tools of peripheral arterial disease in diabetes.

In Germany, digital health applications (DiGAs) that can be prescribed by physicians and psychotherapists and reimbursed by statutory health insurers are listed in the Directory of Digital Health Applications maintained by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). As of February 23, 2026, a total of 61 apps are available in the Directory and thus eligible for reimbursement.

On November 20, 2025, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) announced that Annex 2 of the updated German Uniform Evaluation Standard (EBM) catalog, scheduled for publication on January 1, 2026, will be expanded to include additional interventional procedures.

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

In October 2025, the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV) updated the List of implants and invasive medical devices. A new sub-chapter with multiple material codes for the reconstruction of large bone defects and a new sub-chapter with a material code for a pre-formed periarticular osteosynthesis plate were introduced. Two new Nominative lists for brand-specific devices for the reconstruction of large bone defects were also published.

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.

In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in England released four Med Tech-related assessments in its HTA Journal, which concerned tumor profiling tests in early breast cancer, remote monitoring of heart failure in people with cardiac implantable electronic devices, microstructural scaffolds in symptomatic defects of the knee, as well as rapid tests for antifungal stewardship in the ICU.

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.