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Food for Thought: Future Benefit Assessment of Medtech in Germany

Germany´s Law on the Stabilization and Structural Reform of the Statutory Health Insurance (Versorgungsstrukturgesetz) came into effect January 1st, 2012. For medtech companies it is important that the law introduces a novel instrument of the statutory healthcare system’s Joint Federal Committee G-BA for the assessment of innovative medical technologies. This novelty – the so-called “trial provision” for innovative medtech methods – has the advantage of not summarily excluding methods whose benefit is not immediately clear.

Dr Rainer Hess, Chairman of G-BA, in January detailed the plans of G-BA for the assessment of innovative medical technologies: “We are not assessing medicinal products, such as pacemakers or endo-prostheses,” he said during the recent MedInform conference “Versorgungsstrukturgesetz 2012” hosted by BVMed, the German Medical Technology Association. “We are evaluating medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in which medical devices may play a role.”

The trial provision, he added, would offer the opportunity to conduct representative studies of novel procedures, if adequate evidence is not available and novel studies are not to be expected.

Hess said G-BA will expect the demonstration of an additional benefit as compared to existing methods.  To determine this additional benefit, G-BA will lay out study requirements in a guideline and assign an institute with conducting the study. Manufacturers will have to contribute financially to the study – otherwise the device can be excluded from reimbursement.

Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare (IQWiG) will then furnish a scientific opinion. Finally, G-BA will host a hearing, including experts, and subsequently make a decision about reimbursement.

Assessment can be demanded by the manufacturers but also from a statutory health insurance company.

Further information can be found at the webseite of BVMed – The German Medical Technology Association