ICD private coverage
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
BlueCross BlueShield Technology Evaluation Center determines that ICDs meet its criteria for preventing sudden death from ventricular tachyarrhythmia in patients with ischemic or non-ischemic, symptomatic, dilated cardiomyopathy and left-ventricular ejection fraction of 35% or less at least 40 days after a myocardial infarction. The assessment follows Medicare's defibrillator coverage expansion, based on results from the SCD-HeFT trial (1"The Gray Sheet" Jan. 31, 2005, p. 3)...