Medicare Has a Heart      

A stunning and positive development has taken place with regard to Medicare coverage.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved coverage for the artificial heart, manufactured and distributed by Abiomed.

This is a huge step forward.  With heart-related illness and issues comprising a very large percentage of hospitalizations and deaths, there has been the discovery of more and more individuals that need ear transplants.

However, the waiting lists are long, and even if a person is on the list, waits their turn and moves to the top of the list, they may not be able to find a heart that is a match for them.  Now that hospitals can be reimbursed by Medicare for the cost of the heart itself and the cost of implanting it into individuals, many people may have the opportunity for this operation to save their life. 

Because this is an artificial rather than a human heart, the possibility of rejection is much less than the human heart.  There are fewer question marks, and there are less complications projected.  In addition to less complications, the recovery rate with the artificial heart is said to be shorter than with a human heart.

During the pilot part of this new development, there are four hospitals that are slated to be able to use the artificial heart and the operation to put it into individuals.  These four hospitals are Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., Texas Hear Institute in St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, and St. Vincent in Indiana.  If the program is successful, it will expand over time.

The fact that Medicare will be prepared to cover this artificial heart procedures a great stride forward. This should save many lives as it increases over time.   Even if it saves only one life, it will have been an important step forward in Medicare coverage.

Entry Filed under: General-Medicare