In an effort to help make sure patients are getting appropriate care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revised guidance for national coverage determinations (NCDs), according to the news release. As a condition of payment, providers must develop and capture additional patient information to supplement standard claims.
CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan said, “Our goal is to speed access to valuable new technologies, and to promote the effective use of those technologies by providing patients and doctors with better medical evidence.”
Guidance documents help the public understand how and why CMS decides to cover certain items and services. The agency solicited feedback on its draft guidance document and considered this information while developing the revised guidance document, focusing on the public’s concerns about a process called Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). To learn more about NCDs and CEDs, visit the Medicare Coverage Center page.
