House Medicare bill retains Rep. Thomas' investigational device payment language.
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
HOUSE MEDICARE BILL RETAINS REP. THOMAS' INVESTIGATIONAL DEVICE PROVISION after the House Rules Committee decided Oct. 18 to disallow broader language providing Medicare reimbursement for all investigational devices with an approved investigational device exemption. The Medicare reform bill passed by the House Oct. 19 reverts to language introduced by Rep. William Thomas (R-Calif.) in June (HR 1744) and subsequently incorporated into the original draft of the House Medicare bill. The final House measure would allow Medicare coverage of investigational devices only if the device has an approved IDE and is used in place of an approved device.