Medicare Proposal Pours Cold Water On Heat-Based Back Pain Therapy
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
CMS may nationally deny coverage of thermal intradiscal procedures to treat low back pain based on lack of clear benefit, the agency said July 15
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Heat-based back pain procedures denied Medicare coverage
CMS issues national non-coverage determination for thermal intradiscal procedures to treat low back pain Sept. 29 after determining that they are "not reasonable and necessary" based on available evidence. A proposal to deny Medicare coverage for the catheter-based treatment was announced in July (1"The Gray Sheet" July 21, 2008, p. 6). Intradiscal electrothermal therapy system maker Smith & Nephew (SpineCath) says it will "continue to work with CMS and support an immediate request for reconsideration." Baylis Medical says it hopes to submit to CMS by September 2009 results of an ongoing study of its TransDiscal disc biacuplasty system that would differentiate it for reimbursement purposes
Heat-based back pain procedures denied Medicare coverage
CMS issues national non-coverage determination for thermal intradiscal procedures to treat low back pain Sept. 29 after determining that they are "not reasonable and necessary" based on available evidence. A proposal to deny Medicare coverage for the catheter-based treatment was announced in July (1"The Gray Sheet" July 21, 2008, p. 6). Intradiscal electrothermal therapy system maker Smith & Nephew (SpineCath) says it will "continue to work with CMS and support an immediate request for reconsideration." Baylis Medical says it hopes to submit to CMS by September 2009 results of an ongoing study of its TransDiscal disc biacuplasty system that would differentiate it for reimbursement purposes
Thermal Disc Therapies Could Be On Medicare Hot Seat
CMS is considering a national coverage policy for procedures that apply heat directly to spinal discs to treat lower back pain