CMS has announced that the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) is holding a virtual meeting on July 22. MEDCAC advises CMS on all final coverage decisions and supplements the experience of CMS' staff. CMS is seeking the MEDCAC’s recommendations regarding the characteristics that define those patient selection and usage criteria, concomitant services, and equipment parameters necessary to best achieve positive patient health outcomes in beneficiaries with chronic respiratory failure consequent to COPD.
The MEDCAC Panel will review the evidence specific to the home use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation by patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) consequent to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Devices to be considered are home mechanical ventilators (HMVs), bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP) devices and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices.
The American Association for Homecare submitted comments for the meeting asking MEDCAC to do the following:
AAHomecare also noted its support for comments submitted by the Council for Quality Respiratory Care, ResMed, Hillrom, and other AAHomecare members that have provided clinically based responses for the four discussion questions related to the meeting.
See AAHomecare’s comments here.
Register for the July 22 meeting here and see CMS’ meeting notice for more details.