Towards identifying good practices in the assessment of digital medical devices: Insights from several OECD countries (28 April 2025)

Summary

The rapid evolution of digital health technologies offers new opportunities for healthcare systems while also increasing pressure on public budgets. Governments and insurers face growing challenges in determining what to fund and at what price.

Health technology assessment (HTA) remains a critical tool for informing these decisions, and several OECD countries are exploring ways to adapt their approaches to the fast-changing and diverse landscape of digital medical devices. The absence of a common taxonomy, coupled with the rapid pace of technological advancement, further complicates evaluation, prompting interest in more harmonised HTA approaches.

This paper explores how France, Germany, Israel, Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom are adapting HTA to evaluate certain types of digital medical devices for coverage and pricing decisions. Through desk research and interviews, it describes HTA approaches, focusing on relevant pathways, technology remits, and evaluation methods.

Drawing on practical experiences, it highlights key challenges and potential learning opportunities. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on adapting HTA frameworks to improve the assessment and integration of digital medical devices into healthcare systems.