Stem cell transplantation gains Medicare coverage analysis
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
CMS is taking comments through Dec. 10 on whether there is enough evidence to merit coverage for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to treat the bone marrow disorders known as myelodysplastic syndrome. The Medicare agency opened the national coverage analysis on Nov. 10 in response to a formal request from several professional societies working in cancer treatment and bone marrow transplantation. In allogeneic stem cell transplantation, a portion of a healthy donor's stem cells or bone marrow is prepared for intravenous infusion to treat the patient. "For a number of patients, allogeneic HCT is currently the only curative therapy for MDS, and the only treatment available that prevents certain death from this disease," a Sept. 21 letter to CMS reads