Financing medical devices: The case of implantable cardioverter defibrillators and coronary stents in Italy

In the recent years, the financing of medical devices has gained increasing attention from health policy makers in Italy at both regional and national level. The article investigates the current modalities of procurement and reimbursement of cardiovascular medical devices in Italy, as well as their diffusion across the country. Both implantable cardioverter defibrillators and coronary stents are purchased by the health care providers using Diagnosis Related Group tariffs. Empirical data suggest that these technologies have increasingly been used in recent years in Italy.