Medtech trade group AdvaMed today called on the federal government to expand Medicare coverage to digital health technologies. The Medicare statute does not directly address coverage of digital health technologies, nor does it specifically limit or prohibit their coverage. But it doesn’t make Medicare coverage easy, either. Get the full story on our sister site, […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Medicare to cover more home dialysis
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it finalized an expansion of its care offerings for patients with chronic kidney disease. CMS completed its end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treatment choices (ETC) model for improving or maintaining the qualityof care and reducing Medicare expenditures for patients with chronic kidney disease, impacting approximately 30% […]
Myomo lands Medicare coverage
Myomo (NYSE:MYO) announced that it received authorization to be a Medicare provider through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS, under the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, now includes Cambridge, Mass.-based Myomo in its Medicare Supplier Directory at Medicare.gov, which enables Myomo to bill Medicare directly when it delivers its MyoPro orthosis in […]
Ambu, Boston Sci execs see domination for single-use scopes
Hospital closures connected to COVID-19 have cut into the sales of many medical device companies, but executives at rival makers of single-use scopes say pandemic has only heightened existing concerns about contamination, exposure and cost. In interviews in this week’s DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast, executives from Ambu A/S and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) said improved technology make […]
The top 5 MassDevice stories of the week — September 4, 2020
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and a major development involving medtech reimbursement dominated medical device industry news over the past week. As the week closes out, there’s also a trending story on MassDevice that includes good news: Abbott (NYSE:ABT) is reportedly hiring 2,000 new employees in Illinois to increase manufacturing for its rapid COVID-19 test. Want to hear more about […]
Boston Scientific stent gains added Medicare coverage
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) announced today that CMS granted a new technology add-on payment (NTAP) for its Eluvia system. Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific’s Eluvia drug-eluting vascular stent system received the NTAP as part of the 2021 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS). The NTAP will be made effective on Oct. 1, 2020, to provide eligible hospitals with incremental […]
CMS rate cuts for Abiomed Impella not as bad as expected
CMS will pay 11% less for the tiny Impella heart pump made by Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) during the upcoming federal fiscal year — but the reduction is better than the 24% cut originally proposed. For the federal fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2021, the rate for uni-ventricular Impella percutaneous insertion will be $71,950, down from the previous […]
Viz.ai stroke software lands Medicare ‘new technology’ coverage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted Viz.ai the first New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP) for artificial intelligence software, the company announced today. NTAP, part of the CMS inpatient prospective payment system, was set up to support the adoption of cutting-edge technologies that have demonstrated substantial clinical improvement and ensure early availability to Medicare […]
Abbott wins Medicare reimbursement for FreeStyle Libre 2
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced today that its next-generation FreeStyle Libre 2 iCGM is now available to Medicare patients. The integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) system met the codes for therapeutic CGM systems used for coverage by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), making it accessible to all Medicare patients with diabetes who meet the […]
CMS agrees to cover ‘breakthrough’ medical devices
Medicare patients will have coverage for medical devices the FDA designates as breakthrough technology under a proposed rule released this morning. Once the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) final rule goes into effect, national Medicare coverage will begin on the date a breakthrough device’s FDA market authorization would begin and continue for 4 years. […]
CMS pushes for return to essential kidney treatments, transplants
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced updated guidance urging for the resumption of kidney procedures. CMS said its guidance is designed to ensure medical providers can able return to offering essential surgical, life-sustaining procedures while reinforcing infection control precautions at dialysis facilities in COVID-19 hotspots. The guidance includes a checklist of […]