Medicare updates national coverage policy for heart procedure

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Friday finalized its decision to update Medicare’s national coverage policy for hospitals and physicians offering a transcatheter aortic valve replacement program to treat aortic stenosis, a condition in which the heart valve that pumps blood to the body becomes narrowed. Under the decision, Medicare will continue to cover the procedure under coverage with evidence development, but hospitals and physicians will have more flexibility to meet the requirements to perform the procedure, CMS said. The decision could expand the number of hospitals that are able to provide the service, which would increase patient access.