CardioQ covered
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
UK firm Deltex Medical's CardioQ esophageal Doppler monitor gets national coverage from CMS May 22. The agency's 1decision to cover Doppler monitoring of cardiac output for ventilated patients in the ICU and patients with a need for intra-operative fluid optimization during surgery mirrors CMS' earlier proposal to reverse its long-standing noncoverage policy for the procedure (2"The Gray Sheet" March 5, 2007, In Brief). The esophageal Doppler monitor competes with pulmonary artery catheters, providing real-time data on left ventricular blood flow. "Given the breadth of the coverage determination, between 5 and 10 million patients [in the U.S.] annually would benefit ... using CardioQ," Deltex CEO Andy Hill told "The Gray Sheet"...