As India makes rapid strides towards universal health coverage, focusing on medical device reimbursement is key to ensuring patient access to device-based technologies. The nascent medical device reimbursement process offers a promising opportunity for interventions driven by a diverse group of stakeholders. We conducted policy research to capture these diverse perspectives and highlight key elements to develop a structured framework for reimbursement.

This research was a two-part process, including secondary research with expert interviews followed by policy research using focus group discussions (FGDs) through an online workshop with key stakeholders. We developed a white paper proposing changes to the reimbursement pathway, based on a benchmarking study of global markets and interviews with experts in the field. As a next step, key changes proposed in the white paper were deliberated upon by three focus groups (six to eight participants). Group participants were selected by quota sampling and represented key stakeholders in the reimbursement process. A discussion guide was used to capture participants’ opinions and an addendum to the white paper was released highlighting small, actionable, and impactful changes to the reimbursement process.

FGDs with key stakeholders highlighted the need to establish a more structured, inclusive, and transparent process. Accordingly, we proposed key recommendations to the medical device reimbursement process in India. A first change is the creation of an online submission portal allowing different healthcare stakeholders to submit new technologies for consideration through a streamlined pathway. Secondly, we proposed enhancing evaluation transparency by improving availability of publicly shared information on the evaluation process, metrics, and assessment timelines. We also suggested adoption of adaptive health technology assessments to leverage existing evidence for faster, efficient decision-making.

Through this process, we created a pragmatic and concrete call for a stronger voice from care-providers and patient groups in the evaluation process. Consecutively, the proposed innovative framework introducing value-based incentives for implantable medical devices will be instrumental in enabling access to quality health care for poor patients. These strategies follow the principles of value-based care and will go a long way in achieving better health outcomes for the population. The scientific initiative has been made possible with the support of St. Jude Medical India Pvt Ltd (now Abbott).