2006 OPPS Final Rule In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Electrode implant APC changes: CMS adopts changes sought by Medtronic, Advanced Bionics and Advanced Neuromodulation Systems to create separate payment groupings for percutaneous, laminectomy and cranial neurostimulator electrode implantation to preserve clinical and cost effectiveness, according to the 2006 hospital outpatient prospective payment system final rule. Without the change, laminectomy lead placement payment would have decreased by 73%. The APC Advisory Panel also recommended a separate payment grouping for laminectomy procedures at a meeting in August (1"The Gray Sheet" Aug. 22, 2005, p. 5)...