Government
Medicare delays defibrillator coverage expansion for coronary patients
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 24, 2005
Federal officials are holding off on expanding Medicare coverage of implantable cardioverter defibrillators until the results of a major scientific study have been published.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed offering the devices to a larger population of coronary disease patients last October after initial study results demonstrated that the ICDs could prevent more cases of sudden cardiac death.
CMS concluded last month, however, that it could not proceed with a final coverage determination until the National Institutes of Health put the study up for peer review and published it in a medical journal.
Until Medicare investigators are able to review the finished report, only patients currently eligible for the ICDs and those who enroll in CMS-approved clinical trials can receive coverage for the defibrillators.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/01/24/gvbf0124.htm.
