ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Officials at the agency that oversees Medicare policy are certainly talking the talk in support of medtech innovation, and they are starting to walk the walk with new policies attempting to make improvements to the coverage, coding, and payment landscape for new devices. It is still early days though, and those in industry dealing with reimbursement challenges on the ground say a cultural shift at CMS is still needed.
Words and policies that have come out of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in recent months are leading some in industry to a cautious optimism that CMS is turning a corner toward support for early adoption of medtech innovation. Meanwhile, many working in the trenches to win proper coverage, coding, and payment for new technologies remain skeptical, pointing to a need for a cultural shift and resource enhancement at the Medicare agency.