Spinal cord stimulators
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Boston Scientific (Precision), Medtronic (Restore) and St. Jude (Eon) will benefit from CMS' decision to award a transitional pass-through payment category for spinal cord stimulation systems, effective Jan. 1. The category will allow hospitals to receive extra payment when they use the devices. Last fall, CMS altered its pass-through payment criteria to allow new technologies previously described by a pass-through category to become eligible for payment if the established category does not appropriately define the technology, clearing the way for the spinal cord stimulator pass-though qualification (1"The Gray Sheet" Nov. 7, 2005, p. 7)...