Reimbursement

On 19 October 2026, the Norwegian Directorate of Health published the preliminary 2027 activity-based funding (ISF) framework, including updates to the Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) system. While the overall system remains largely unchanged, the share of activity-based funding for somatic specialist care is set to increase from 30% to 40%. Seven new DRGs and four Special Service Groups (STGs) are planned, although none of them are directly related to MedTech.

On October 1, 2026, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the second release of the DRG package for 2027 (RZ27b). One new procedure code will be introduced in the ENT field. No new diagnoses or DRGs are introduced, and no new supplementary payments (OZP) are added in the Med Tech-related field. The effective date of the release is January 1, 2027.

On 8 October 2026, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) reported proposed legislative amendments that could fundamentally change reimbursement for short-stay and outpatient procedures in Germany. Under the proposal, the existing Hybrid DRG mechanism would be abolished from 1 January 2028, with short-stay hospital cases reimbursed through a new system of flat-rate payments. Procedures without an overnight stay would transition to reimbursement under the EBM fee schedule from 2027.

On September 21, 2026, the Ministerial Decree updating the maximum national reimbursement tariffs for outpatient specialist services and custom-made prosthetic care provided under the Essential Levels of Care (LEA) came into force. The key changes concern diagnostic procedures, dialysis, rehabilitation, and custom-made prosthetic aids.

In the Swiss outpatient reimbursement system, new procedures that currently lack a specific LKAAT procedure code can receive analogous coding, thereby providing temporary reimbursement. In August 2026, the Organization for Outpatient Physician Tariffs, responsible for developing and maintaining the Swiss outpatient reimbursement system, updated its list of analogous and reserve code assignments, adding several imaging and surgical procedures.

The State-Regions Conference formally approved the draft Ministerial Decree updating the maximum national reimbursement tariffs for outpatient specialist services and prosthetic aids under the Essential Levels of Care (LEA) catalog. The revision covers 448 outpatient specialist services and 222 prosthetic-care codes. The draft does not revise the laboratory test tariffs.

In July 2026, an independent review of UK pathology services was published. It covers seven main areas: international experience, the devolved UK nations, quality, workforce, patient access, digital and diagnostic infrastructure, and value and funding. Among the six system-wide priorities, the report recommends aligning digital, workforce, and funding reforms into a single implementation program, moving towards activity-aligned funding through a price-per-test tariff model.

On July 1, 2026, the revised EBM (German Uniform Evaluation Standard) catalog for the third quarter of 2026 came into force. The EBM catalog is used to reimburse day case and outpatient services under the fee-for-service model. The main changes introduced concern updates of the contents (service legends, preambles of several EBM subchapters) and the introduction of several new EBM codes.

On June 29, 2026, the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV) published an update on the ongoing reform of the Nomenclature of healthcare services, including progress across key phases, methodological developments, and timelines. The reform aims to separate physician remuneration from practice costs and is scheduled for publication on October 1, 2028, with national implementation planned from January 1, 2029.

On June 11, 2026, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) announced a number of changes to the reimbursement of human genetics tests to be introduced as of October 1, 2026. The package of changes includes, among other measures, a reduction in the reimbursement values for human genetic services and the introduction of additional volume-based reimbursement reductions at the practice level. These measures are intended to reduce expenditure on human genetic tests by 31%.

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.

On May 1, 2026, the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) published the first release of the 2027 DRG package (RZ27a). Seven new procedure codes, one new diagnosis code, two new supplementary payments (OZPs), and 23 DRGs will be implemented across multiple fields, including gastrointestinal, gynecology, pulmonology, men’s health, and in-vitro diagnostics (pathology).