Puglia approves measures to contain medical device spending

The Puglia regional government has approved new measures to monitor and contain spending on medical devices. The initiative aims to reduce the regional expenditure on these devices from 7.01% of the health fund in 2025 to the national average of 6.47% over the 2026–2028 period.

Key strategies include prioritizing purchases through existing centralized tenders and calling on InnovaPuglia to launch new centralized auctions, particularly for high-impact items. The regional government has identified diagnostic reagents and orthopedic prostheses as priority categories for cost control.

To ensure compliance, general managers of health agencies will monitor purchases via IT systems, compare costs against national averages, and conduct audits with prescribing physicians and hospital clinics. Additionally, Aress will support the regional aggregator to improve the planning and design of centralized tenders for high-cost medical devices.