ARTICLE SUMMARY:
CMS approves record number of new-technology add-on payments and rules on HCPCS codes. Excerpted from Pathways’ Picks August 20: CDRH Hire, New Tech at CMS, AI in the EU, and More.
The Medicare agency published its FY 2026 hospital inpatient rule July 31, granting New Technology Add-On Payments (NTAPs) to a record 20 medical devices authorized as FDA Breakthrough Devices. That is almost double the previous highest number (11 in 2025) of new inpatient bonus payments awarded to devices in a single year since the NTAP program started in 2001. CMS also agreed in the final rule to continue 18 existing device NTAP payments for another year.
Code decisions. CMS also ruled on reimbursement billing code requests from 33 device companies in an August 19 notice. The rulings, which in most cases will take effect on October 1, responded to requests for Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II codes for products that aren’t addressed by CPT codes, such as durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). Devices awarded with new codes include an array of finger prosthetics from Point Designs; the remotely controlled O2Remote device (Oxygen Management Systems) for controlling oxygen tubing; and the InnovaMatrix wound care cover (Convatec Triad Life Sciences). CMS also assigned benefit categories, such as DME, to certain devices and, in some cases, assigned a payment value to new codes.
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