ABIOMED PURSUING SEPARATE MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT CODE FOR BVS 5000
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
ABIOMED PURSUING SEPARATE MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT CODE FOR BVS 5000 in an effort to obtain a higher payment level for the heart assist device, the company said in a recent press release. Abiomed is hoping to put in a request for a separate code for the BVS 5000 before the December meeting of the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, the federal interdepartmental group responsible for maintaining and revising the coding system. Abiomed Chairman and CEO David Lederman said his firm "will pursue the establishment of a unique code for BVS 5000 patients, and collect the information necessary to make [the Health Care Financing Administration] comfortable with what we feel is a compelling case for an increase in reimbursement."