Brussels – 14 June 2023

From mobile health apps and wearables to telehealth and telemedicine, digital health solutions support equal access to quality healthcare. The latest technological innovation is ready to be deployed for the benefit of patients, but are Member States ready to take it up? With “conditional” reimbursement Member States can make new technologies available to patients at an early stage, and the long-term reimbursement decision can be postponed and based on evidence of demonstrable benefits. Is a model of this kind key to innovation uptake?

During an interactive session at the Radical Health Festival in Helsinki, COCIR released the second edition of its recurrent study entitled ‘Market Access Pathways for Digital Health Solutions’ three years after the first issue. This latest edition was created in collaboration with National Trade Association Agoria, Snitem, ZVEI, Fenin and ABHI, and with Synergus RWE. COCIR assessed current national initiatives, such as the French ETAPES, the German DIGA, and the Belgian Pyramid, against a specific set of criteria, including value in healthcare, to identify their common ground and  promote best practices.

The COCIR Secretary General, Ms Annabel Seebohm, said: ‘Digital health solutions could support healthcare systems in a sustainable way to become more person-centered and outcome focused. Emerging technologies are breaking new ground and enabling healthcare to  reflect the patient's individual needs. Focusing on six European countries, i. e. Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the 2023 edition of the ‘Market Access Pathways for Digital Health Solutions’ clearly demonstrates that while Europe is still exploring pathways to encourage innovation integration, the good news is that it has started to work on it seriously.'

For more information, contact:

Annabel Seebohm
COCIR Secretary General        
Tel: +32 (0)2 706 8961
seebohm@cocir.org