The healthcare sector uses numerous acronyms representing the key mechanisms and pathways involved in market access. Understanding their definitions and the concepts behind them will help you better identify and assess your market access opportunities.
Key Concepts in Healthcare Market Access
Acronym
Full Term
Definition
ASA
Improvement in Expected Clinical Benefit (Amélioration du Service Attendu)
HAS assessment of the incremental clinical value of a medical device, expressed on a five-level scale.
ASMR
Improvement in Actual Clinical Benefit (Amélioration du Service Médical Rendu)
HAS assessment of the incremental clinical value of a medicine, expressed on a five-level scale.
CEDiag
Committee for the Assessment of Diagnostic, Prognostic and Predictive Technologies (Commission d’évaluation des technologies diagnostiques, pronostiques et prédictives)
Specialist HAS committee responsible for assessing medical procedures used for diagnostic purposes.
CEPS
Economic Committee for Health Products (Comité Économique des Produits de Santé)
French interministerial body responsible for setting medicine prices and medical device reimbursement tariffs, and regulating healthcare expenditure reimbursed by the statutory health insurance system.
CNEDiMTS
National Committee for the Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (Commission nationale d’évaluation des dispositifs médicaux et des technologies de santé)
Specialist HAS committee responsible for assessing medical devices.
CT
Transparency Committee (Commission de la Transparence)
Specialist HAS committee responsible for assessing medicines.
DIV
In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD)
Medical devices used for in vitro diagnostic purposes, as defined in Article 1 of Directive 98/79/EC.
DM
Medical Device (Dispositif Médical)
An instrument, apparatus, software or other product intended for use in humans to diagnose, prevent or treat a disease.
GHM / GHS
Diagnosis-Related Group (GHM) / Hospital Stay Tariff Group (GHS)
The main classification and funding system for hospital stays in France. GHM determines the classification of a hospital stay, while GHS refers to the associated reimbursement tariff.
HAS
French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de Santé)
An independent French public scientific authority responsible for assessing the clinical effectiveness and value of healthcare products, medical procedures and care protocols.
LPPR
List of Reimbursable Products and Services (Liste des Produits et Prestations Remboursables)
French reimbursement list covering medical devices and associated services used in home care or funded in addition to standard hospital tariffs.
NABM
Classification of Medical Biology Procedures (Nomenclature des Actes de Biologie Médicale)
French coding and reimbursement classification for established medical laboratory procedures.
RIHN
Register of Innovative Procedures Outside the Standard Classification (Référentiel des Actes Innovants Hors Nomenclature)
Temporary coding and funding mechanism for innovative medical laboratory procedures not yet included in the standard reimbursement classification.
SA
Expected Clinical Benefit (Service Attendu)
HAS assessment of the expected clinical benefit of a medical device, used to inform reimbursement eligibility decisions.
SMR
Actual Clinical Benefit (Service Médical Rendu)
HAS assessment of the clinical benefit of a medicine, used to inform reimbursement eligibility and the reimbursement rate under the French statutory health insurance system.
UCD
Common Dispensing Unit (Unité Commune de Dispensation)
Standardised hospital coding system used to identify medicines and their dispensing units.