News
More Flexibility Coming for Medicare Coverage of Artificial Hearts, VADs
- December 8, 2020
Follow our Medicare Coronavirus News page for related information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare coverage of artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices (VADs) has been granted some greater flexibility.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized updates to artificial heart and VAD Medicare coverage on December 1 and ended a key requirement that was blocking these devices from broader coverage.
Learn More About Medicare
Join our email series to receive your free Medicare guide and the latest information about Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
By clicking "Sign me up!” you are agreeing to receive emails from MedicareAdvantage.com.
Does Medicare cover artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices?
Before the December 2020 update from the CMS, Medicare did cover experimental or investigational items or services except when provided in the context of a clinical trial or with the collection of additional clinical data.
The updated policy removes that requirement and will now allow artificial hearts to fall under the more standard coverage determination process in which decisions are made by local Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). MACs consider a beneficiary’s clinical circumstances to determine which patients will most benefit from an artificial heart.
VAD Medicare coverage criteria will now better align with current medical practice while allowing patients and providers to choose the best treatment for them.
The updated policy became effective Dec. 2.
“CMS is dedicated to improving cardiovascular health in the Medicare population. CMS is continually updating our policies to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to the latest technology and appropriate evidence-based health care. These coverage changes will give beneficiaries and providers more options as they choose potentially life-saving treatments most likely to produce good health outcomes.” – CMS Administrator Seema Verma1
What is a VAD?
A ventricular assist device, or “mechanical circulatory support device,” is a mechanical pump that helps pump blood from the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart to the rest of the body. VADs are often used in people who have weakened hearts or heart failure.
Artificial hearts replace the right and left ventricles along with the four heart valves and are used in place of the human heart.
Learn more about Medicare coverage in 2021.
1 CMS. (Dec. 1, 2020). CMS Updates Coverage Policies for Artificial Hearts and Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) [press release]. Retrieved from www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-updates-coverage-policies-artificial-hearts-and-ventricular-assist-devices-vads.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
